Now we're here, staring at each other. My hand hangs in mid-air as I wait for you to beg. When no pleas come, I bend my head forward and enjoy watching you flinch. Your defiance cracks and I see a solitary tear leak onto your pale cheek. My fingers brush against your jaw as my thumb catches the tear. You let out a small sound as my gem illuminates your frightened face.
"Oops..." I don't try to conceal my mirth.
You fight against the fusion as hard as you can. You almost succeed in breaking it. I hear your voice come from my mouth. I respond with mine. You plead that you don't want to fuse, but I know different. A part of you likes the power. When I tell you the truth of your own mind, your struggles weaken. After your fifth failed attempt to unfuse, you finally let go with a pitiful cry and your mind is silent.
I catch the mis-matched eyes from my reflection in the window, one yellow and one blue. My orange skin has lightened, making the red streaks on my body stand out. And my uniform has darkened to burgundy with black streaks.
Now what should I call this fusion? I look around the room and spot inspiration on a table by the window. I pick up a clear orange-red stone and examine it, laughing at my own perverse sense of humor. Dark red streaks go through it and a large beetle is in the center. A beetle that was trapped millennia ago in tree resin, which hardened and became this stone.
Amber is the perfect name for this fusion. An Earth organism trapped in an Earth rock for eternity. A gem only created and found on Earth.
My laughter stops when my free hand moves of its own volition, creating a red-gold knife on the back of my hand. I experimentally press the point to the amber, breaking it with little effort. My other hand creates its mate. I make a few experimental swipes and appreciate the subtle hum as they slice the air.
Oh, human... you are delightful.
I leave the dwelling to test out this new body, eager to see what other surprises you have in store. As the sea air greets me, I take a moment to close my eyes and turn inwards. As I advance on our shared mental plane, I see you seated in the center. Your ankle is covered by an orange-red manacle with a chain tethering you to the plane. You are curled into a ball, trying to make yourself as small as possible.
You try to shrink into yourself when I kneel down beside you. I lift your chin, forcing you to look at me. As my thumb traces the shape of your bottom lip, a fragment of my own memory starts to materialize.
Gems shattering around me. Orders to retreat. Running to the nearest warp pad. No time to help the ones that stumble and fall. A low hum getting steadily louder. Run becomes a sprint. Diving onto the pad, which activates as a bright white light forms in the sky...
The memory disappears from the plane and I find my lips pressed to yours. I start to pull back, remembering that I intended this fusion as an experiment. I can't let you have control like I did with Lapis...
… When you lean in and return the kiss, I know we have an understanding. I also realize that I don't know your name.
It doesn't matter.
We're Amber now.