It's during a run of the mill Kindergarten inspection when Bismuth first hears rumors of insurgency in Pink Diamond's Colony.
"Seriously", she says, fingers firmly pressing into the dry soil beneath them. When all Beryl does is offer a cheeky smile, Bismuth rolls her eyes and wags a finger at her. "You'd better not be fucking with me."
Beryl, wand in hand, smirks and waves it over the soil Bismuth's chosen to examine. "Such crude language. I don't think you're worthy of hearing gossip of this quality."
"How about we drop the priss act?" Bismuth nods to the popped buttons on Beryl's blouse and sneers. "We all know what you get up to in the quarry before clocking in. Could be me but I don't think our fair Diamonds would be too glad to hear about that."
She waves her free hand, then turns back to the soil. "Get with the times, Bis: sex has been legal for, like, eight years now. And, if you'll believe the rumors, the Big Three have been screwing each other for centuries." Her wand captivates the soil in a lightbeam, and it sifts, allowing for apt inspection. Her eyebrows scrunch together, and she crouches closer to the earth.
"Yeah, and, speaking of rumors, you still haven't told me about this rebellion shit." Bismuth lowers beside Beryl and crosses her arms. "Come on, don't leave a Gem hanging."
The wand chirps, and the soil to falls to the ground. Beryl hums, reaches into her satchel, and retrieves a tablet. She eyes the information spewing across the screen and nods. "Supposedly", she says, glancing up to flash her teeth at Bismuth. "Miss Pink's losing control of her subjects. There's tell of a Rose Quartz refusing to gather materials and scheming with humans-"
"Scheming about what?"
Beryl frowns. When Bismuth, wide-eyed and fidgeting, doesn't relent in her curiosity, she gives a faint shrug. "Heck if I know. I just know she was scheming." Beryl shakes her head, her hair brushing against her shoulders like a soft fabric. "You always ask the weirdest questions. It's no wonder you're always in trouble."
Bismuth retreats, averting her eyes back to the soil. "Sorry", she mutters, yanking a rock from the dirt. She tosses it against the wall, watching as it pierces the wall much like an unearthed Gem. Shoulders slumped, she turns back to Beryl and scowls. "And I'm not always in trouble."
"Uh, you kind of are." She tucks her wand away before turning her attention back to her tablet. "I'm actually surprised you haven't been shattered with a mind like that-"
"Okay, okay, can we get back to the story?"
"Fine. Anyway, so, apparently, this is the third or fifth time this Quartz has done this; the other Diamonds know about, and, as you can imagine, they ain't happy about it. Especially Yellow, she was going on and on about how they should have never given Pink a Colony in the first place. Which I thought was a bit much because she can't control what some insolent little Gem is doing. And it's not like she hasn't done plenty of other good things since she was granted her first colony."
Bismuth pulls a face. She considers voicing her opinion on the matter but, upon recalling Beryl's earlier statements, settles for asking, "Where are you getting all this from?"
She snickers and makes a pawing motion. "Darling, I've got my sources."
"Mm hm. Might this source be Yellow's Pearl?"
Beryl looks up from her tablet, mouth agape. "How'd you know?"
"Everyone knows that Yellow's Pearl can keep her mouth shut about as well as a Ruby can keep her temper." She reaches for another rock and tosses it into the wall, smiling as it enters the earth beside the previous one. She folds her arms over her chest, turns her nose up, and says, "Kinda like a few other of Yellow's Gems that I know."
"You're really annoying, you know that?"
"Just calling it as I see it, cuz." She kicks at the ground; a cloud of red dust rises to their shoulders, cloaking their clothes with a fine powder. Bismuth wipes a hand over her face and stares at her uniform; her smile thins. "Rylie?"
"It's Beryl, dimwit." Beryl turns her back to Bismuth and stands, searching for another patch of soil to examine.
Bismuth sighs and grabs her shoulder. "Come on, I got a question."
"You always have questions", Beryl mutters, briefly glancing over her shoulder. "I keep telling you, it's gonna get you in trouble one day, and then I'll have no one to bitch with."
"I doubt that." Bismuth sits on the ground, legs spread into an inverted V, and places her knuckles beneath her chin. "There's always gonna be news, and there's always gonna be someone who wants to hear about it."
Beryl's lips perk up at that. She rotates so that half her body faces Bismuth and tilts her head. "Your question?"
Bismuth scoots closer. "This Rose Quartz. What do you think of her?"
"I think she's a silly, foolish Gem, who'll likely be shattered if she doesn't fall back in line. And even then, I doubt life'll be too comfortable for her."
"Well, life isn't exactly fuzzy as it is."
Beryl frowns. She swipes a hand over her tablet, then stands and continues down the winding path of the Kindergarten. "I really wish you wouldn't talk like that, Bis."
"I don't see why", Bismuth huffs as they step around a mound of rocks. "It's not like I'm gonna go on strike or anything. I'm just saying how I feel."
"You know we're not supposed to feel", Beryl admonishes, tossing her hands out in front of her. "We're supposed to do what they want, when they want it, how they want it, and we are most definitely not supposed to question them."
"I'm not, okay? I'm not saying I want them to change the system or whatever. I know it's needed, and I know people like Rose Quartz are a dangerous disruption to everyone in the system. I just don't understand why they treat us like we aren't people; like we're just tools to completing their project of the day."
Beryl slides her tablet into her bag and shakes her head. She glances over the empty Kindergarten, then turns back to Bismuth. "You're not supposed to understand", she eventually says. "You're just supposed to get the job done."
Bismuth's shoulders sag. She stares ahead, allowing the elder Gem to take the lead. When Beryl crouches once more at the towering wall to their right, Bismuth sighs and draws closer. "Rylie?"
"Yeah?"
"The job sucks."
"I know, dear. Just keep that to yourself for now, okay?"
"Okay."
. . .
As per custom of a Bismuth, she's a frequent guest to arenas. Since her unearthing, she's visited and constructed thousands of them. Even if they vary in design, there's something jarringly similar about them that makes navigating them a simple task. So when she goes to inspect the extending corridors of the arena, it doesn't matter whether or not she's never visited it before; the arenas are like the human body; they may seem to be different on the surface, but, hidden beneath, they're all the same.
"Just like Gems", Bismuth murmurs from her post at the expansive window. "Only, we look alike on the outside, too."
From down below, cries of pain and joy grow in volume and intensity. Bismuth remains firm in position, arms folded behind her back as she tracks the growing fire upon the horizon. It's nothing significant; "just a small wildfire that the local fauna will extinguish before it becomes an issue", their Diamonds assured them before work this morning, faces as cold and placid as the sheets of steel lining making up the walls of the arena. At least, that was the disposition they'd been aiming for; Yellow and Blue were neatly composed, as always, but Pink was fidgety, tugging at her collar and darting her eyes away from the screen. It was a small thing, something a Gem shouldn't have noticed; something that even Bismuth had actually written off until now. But now there's a wildfire approaching the Jaded Colosseum, and, small as it may be, it reeks of change.
"It'll never break past the reef", a polar voice notes, attracting the hairs along the back of Bismuth's neck like a magnet.
Bismuth turns, drops to a knee, and lowers her head. "Of course, my Diamond. It's a pleasure to be in your presence."
Blue nods, then turns to the window. Brushing her fingers underneath Bismuth's chin, she instructs her to do the same, and says, "The fire? It'll be dead by morning."
Carefully glancing up through her dreadlocks, Bismuth taps her fingers against each other and bites her lower lip. "Do we know how it started?"
"No, and we don't care. It's a fire, it's threatening a section of my Court, and it will be extinguished. Be it naturally or by My hand, it will not live to see nightfall." Blue turns to Bismuth, offering her a gentle yet keen smile. She lowers her hand behind Bismuth's back, fingers reaching from the cusp of her neck to the end of her spine. She's as cold as she is blue, and the skin that she touches burns with the kiss of winter. Bismuth shudders, hands coming to fold in front of her, and gulps as she glances up at Blue.
"My-My Diamond?"
"I've heard a great deal about you, Bismuth Facet 3 Cut 9xQ", Blue begins as she instructs Bismuth to face her. Bismuth's immediate reaction is to fall to her knee once more, but Blue is quicker, lightly swatting a hand against her legs to discourage the courtesy. "There's no need for that."
"Yes, my Diamond. Apologies." Her movements slow with apprehension, Bismuth stares up at Blue and clears her throat. "You, uh, you was saying that you'd heard of me before?"
"Oh, yes. Many, many things. Your advisor, Bismuth Facet 3 Cut 6xE, says you're quite the curious Gem." Blue opens her palm and twirls her fingers; a double helix of ice forms between them before proceeding to spin, showcasing the crystalline pellets rushing along the cyan strands. "Tell me, Facet 9; what do you see here?"
Bismuth frowns; she draws her head closer, eyes flicking up to meet Blue's. "My Diamond-"
"Don't make me ask again, Facet."
"Right, right. Uh." She shakes her head, exhales, then shrugs. "I dunno. Some helices and orbs. Right?"
"No." Blue pulls away and begins to walk through the corridor. The helices remain at her side, coming to a halt moments before their creator does. She looks over her shoulder, takes note of the idle Bismuth still standing beside the window, and cocks her head. "Come. Don't keep me waiting."
Bismuth swallows the gathering saliva in her mouth and stumbles after her. When she falls in place half a centimeter behind Blue, Bismuth stares up between her locks and fumbles with the straps of her arpon. From below, the sound of metal piercing a solid arises, quickly succeeded by the sound of an exploding bag of star powder.
Poof.
It's something Bismuth should be accustomed to, given that she's been tending to this arena for several months now. But she's never been so close to violence before, never seen the brutality in the recreational sports of her people. Prior to this assignment, there'd only been time for mending collapsing buildings, creating structures for newly established colonies, and forging the occasional trinket for a high ranking Gem; none of which put her in any line of danger and all of which she'd grown to take a liking to over the course of several centuries.
Now, she works during fighting hours. Now, she creates scaffolding to keep the battling Gems from destroying the arena; it's a simple job for even a Bismuth with her experience, so she's often left with nothing to do but inspect the integrity of the structure. And when she's finished with that, she, at her Diamond's request, retreats to the arena to watch the remaining dozen battles.
Needless to say, the Jaded Colosseum has to be her least favorite assignment.
"I asked you what you saw", Blue says, attracting Bismuth's attention once more. The helices rotate beside her like an inanimate pet, intent on pleasing her even if it yields no conscience. As they pause to enter an elevator at the end of the corridor, light erupts from the small room and falls upon the double helix, creating a brief spectacle of blue and white beams before the door closes behind them.
"And I, uh, I told you", Bismuth replies meekly.
"No, you told me what I want you to see. But what is it that you really see?"
Bismuth flicks her eyes to the helixes, then back to Blue's. When Blue's stare remains firm, she turns back to the helices and guides her hands beneath them. The pellets are still moving, just as the helices are still rotating, though their velocity increases as they shift from Blue to Bismuth. Bismuth chances Blue one last glance before she inhales and begins. "You, my Diamond, and your, uh, colleagues are the helices. Us gems, we the ice pellets. We only exist, exist so efficiently, because we have you all to keep us stable, to guide us."
Blue smiles. "Yes. Now." She reaches forward and removes a pellet from the strand. The pellet ahead begins to travel faster, and the one behind falters, causing those preceding it to pause as well. A few seconds pass, and the latter pellets resume their course but in the opposite direction, leaping onto their adjacent strand and causing a severe pileup amongst its corresponding pellets. Eventually, the pellets all fall off the helices, rushing towards the porcelain floor. But they evaporate just before impact, and, soon enough, Bismuth is left staring at a blank space on the floor. Above her hand, the helices still levitate; Blue has returned the initial pellet. It continues running along the strands, though at a considerably slower pace.
"I assume you've heard the rumors", Blue says as the elevator dings and opens its doors. The room is huge, and there rests an enormous table at the center.
The Diamonds' Table, Bismuth can't help but mouth.
"Pink has lost control of her Colony", Blue continues, gesturing for Bismuth to follow her. "At first, we had reports of one deviant Gem, but now we know of three: a wayward Pearl, a revolting fusion between a Ruby and a Sapphire, and a confused Rose Quartz, who appears to be their leader. Nothing of substantial worry, I assure you, but it is something we can't risk escalating."
"Of course." Bismuth watches as Blue takes a seat at the table; Blue drapes one leg over the other and sits back in her chair, raising an arm to fiddle with the yard long hoop earrings dangling on either side of her chin. "You, Our Diamonds, will always take care of us", Bismuth continues, transfixed by the sight.
"Exactly." Blue lowers a hand and gestures towards herself. "Come."
Bismuth adheres, scraping her boots against the floor before crawling into the large hand. Blue lifts her to her face faster than Bismuth had been expecting and stares. "I know you aren't...content with your job."
"I-"
"Hush." Blue relaxes her lips and flutters her eyelashes. Her left hand joins the other and settles against her lap so that a makeshift wall forms. Bismuth sits down on one of her legs, careful not to apply too much pressure, and listens. "Not many know of these mutineers; Yellow and I have decided it's best to keep the situation concealed, as many of our subjects would not react desirably in the instance of revolt. But you." Blue, who'd been idly staring at a tapestry of the Four Diamonds, turns to her and points a narrow finger at Bismuth's chest. "You're a dissenter yourself, aren't you?"
"My Diamond, I-I assure you, I am loyal to-"
"Yes, yes, yes, to the T, do calm down. Not rebellious in the traditional sense." Blue traces her finger from underneath Bismuth's chin to along her collarbone. "You're not the type", she muses as she pulls the finger away.
This assessment draws a sigh from Bismuth. She swipes a hand over her forehead and brushes her hands over her pants. "Then what is it, exactly, that you require my services for?"
Blue drops her hand against the chair's armrest. "I need to ensure that my reign, my colleagues, and my people are safe. To do that, I need your help."
Bismuth blinks; she places a hand to her chest and scoffs. "Me? But-But I'm just a Bismuth. I'm nobody."
"Yes, but you're a perceptive nobody. And I do like perception."
"O-Okay; what should I be perceiving?"
Blue's fingers tap against her armrest. She tilts her head to the side, her left hoop rising and catching the light of the lanterns of above; the light redirects to Bismuth's eye, but she doesn't dare move, far too concerned with the heavy set of her Diamond's eye. "Pink Diamond is under the impression that we've nothing to worry about; that these Gems are merely seeking attention and will cease their unpleasantries when their needs have been met. But I don't think so. I think we need to annihilate these Gems before they become a threat."
"Right. And that's where I come in?"
"Yes. I'm going to have you and a few other Gems such as yourself sent to Earth. From what Pink's told us, the rebels are only resisting because they want to 'protect the Earth and protect themselves'. Gems like you already think as these rebels do. The only remaining step is to live as they live; with this, you can understand what makes this speck of dirt so appealing." She leans forward, reconstructing the double helix and the pellets; the pellet that had returned pauses, only to explode seconds later. Blue creates another pellet and places it along the strand, and the pellets resume their autonomy, undeterred by their sibling's replacement. "Once you've discovered this trait, we can destroy it." She turns back to Bismuth. "You do want to destroy it, don't you?"
Bismuth rubs her hand against the back of her neck. "O-Of course, my Diamond."
"Good. You'll receive a pamphlet on Pink's colony later this evening. Tomorrow." She sits back in her chair and nods. "Tomorrow, you leave for Earth."