After her pleasant chat with Amber, Grape decended the elevator back to the first floor looking for Petrified Wood.
Sure enough, the little Gem was back in her room with the metallic door ajar. She seemed to be collecting the few objects she had, and stuffing them inside of a small duffel bag.
"Petrified Wood! What on Homeworld are you doing!?" Grape seemed more than a bit upset.
"OH! Heh...I'm packing!"
"Packing?"
"I told ya I had stuff to do after our tour!" The little Gem smiled. "Amber probably told ya already...my gemstone has finally been perfected! They are going to send me to Yellow Diamond's court for mass production!"
Grape frowned.
"Don't worry! I'm finally going to be useful for something!"
"But...but...you're useful HERE! You gave me the tour, and helped me out! I mean, we JUST met! Don't go..."
"It's not my decision Grape...I feel Peanut Butter Diamond wanted me to give you the tour as a last hurrah. It is the goal for all Gems here to eventually become useful to Homeworld!" Petrified Wood attempted a smile.
"...but...but...I actually have MET Yellow Diamond. She didn't seem anywhere NEAR as friendly or understanding as Peanut Butter..."
"Rumor has it, none of them are." The small Gem nodded. "...still, I am excited to see the rest of the cosmos outside of this tiny room. I'll miss all of ya, of course though..." Petrified Wood seemed slightly disheartened by this...knowing she probably wouldn't have the authority to see any of her friends again. Peanut Butter Court was not exactly a place where Gems normally visited from the outside...
"OH! HERE!" The tiny gem handed Grape a shiny flat something.
The Purple Pearl turned the item over in interest... "OH! It's your sign!" Grape glanced below the Gem's window, and noted that the metallic plate had been removed from the wall.
"YEAH! Think of it as a momento, so that ya never forget me!"
"Are...are you quite sure Petrified Wood? You seemed so fond of it..."
"BAH! It won't do me any good on the outside...it's just extra weight! Besides, they would have decided to discard the sign anyway. I've actually heard that there are two types of new Gems already needing this room- Cat Eye and Marble."
"Oh...I see."
"Yeah...we even had a goodbye party yesterday and everything...I'm sure gonna miss this place..." The small Gem had finally finished packing, and glanced around with a bit of nostalgia. She took in a deep breath- slightly nervous. "Welp! Time to see the big world! SEE YA GUYS!"
"GOODBYE PETRIFIED WOOD!" Many of the Gems shouted from all directions. Some of the friends from the first floor exited briefly before giving the Gem a quick hug. Tears were exchanged. As the Gem began to walk toward the ship bay, she quickly shouted: "YOU'LL DO A FINE JOB GRAPE! I BELIEVE IN YA!"
...and with that, the little Gem Pearl had met only several hours prior was gone!
Grape was incredibly upset. She placed the little Gem's sign in the pocket space of her gemstone, before walking down the hall, back to the Pearl's chambers. She needed some time to think things through and be alone for a bit. She could feel the curious stares of the various housed Gems as she walked by slowly.
When the Purple Pearl entered the massive room, she was surprised to see that the place was no longer deserted. It seemed Faux had a spot in here too. The poor thing looked absolutely exhausted! She snoozed on her own bed- much more decorated than Grape's. It was clear that the odd Pearl had been here for a long time and had collected lots of interesting things to decorate her space.
Grape sighed, and decided to return her own bed. She found it quickly, and placed Petrified Wood's present under her pillow. It was her first item of worth- a gift from a new friend. While Gems did not need sleep, Grape began to doze off- hoping the activity would calm her a bit. She was sure tomorrow would be a very busy day indeed...