Chapter 9

Morning came upon the gem, a dusty ray of sunlight splayed through her room, spilling onto the bed and across her eyes, pulling her from a dreamless sleep. A moan pulled from her dry lips, eyes cracked open and remained thin slits as the light blared with an invasive rudeness to her vision. She knew she didn't drink the night before yet her head pounded as if she had. Sitting up, her legs hanging over the beds edge, feet coming to rest on the cold wooden floor, a hand found its way up her shirt to relieve an itch as she gave into a heavy yawn. As she felt her consciousness reboot and settle into the awakened mindset, the gem in a zombie state, rose to her feet and shuffled from her bedroom into the small main living room of her cabin. A loud noise that erupted in the air gave Selenite a fright as she leaping back, gem blazing as she near summoned her weapon, and yet... seriously?!

Slowly her spooked expression dropped into a deadpan gaze as she having located the noise. Where the couch should have resided, there was nothing more but a pile of broken wood splintered and jutting out through the folds of the dark colored cloth and mangled padding. On top of this ruin of furniture, the sprawled form of the giant gem resided, eyes closed, mouth gaping wide as she sucked down a rattling breath. Gems don't need sleep, a waste of time; right...

Working around the slumbering Jasper, Selenite igniting her small stove, settled the kettle upon its placement along the copper bracket on top of the stoves surface. Allowing the water to work its way of heating up, she turned and going to the cabinet, withdrew one of the many mugs stacked within. Weeding out one of the many tea bags, she setting the bag inside the mug, the string hanging over the mugs lip, Selenite setting the cup along the table beside the... whatever she could call that pile of crushed fabric and wood. As the fire still need more time for it to heat up the stove before her water could even try to get warm, the gem made her way to the front door that had been settled once more where it properly belonged, even though the hinges were still broken and brisk morning air seeped in through the gaps. Her eyes fell to the door knob and for a groggy moment, had even thought to give it a go, but no; the cracked hinges, the caved in planks showed too much how far gone the stability of the door was. Selenite grimly accepted the conclusion that she was stuck inside for now as the Jasper slept soundly, unless she decided to crawl through a window.

Settling on standing by her stove, enjoying its built up warmth, Selenite with arms crossed lazily over her front blankly stared at the kettle as a trickle of stream began to arise from the spout. As the boil began to turn over in the water, she plucking it from the stoves surface, went to the mug still nestled on the table. Kettle back on its bracket along the windows surface away from the fire, Selenite with mug clutched in her hands, sipped on the hot steeped liquid as she with her back to the bathroom, watched the slumbering giant with a lazy expression on her features. She couldn't help it, Selenite was bored, and with the time shown on the clock residing along the wall, it was still too early to plan her day out. Selenite already knew she had to go into town to pick up a new couch and front door, getting to town was easy for her, but did she dare leave this Jasper here in her home, alone? So far she had left her alone for one day since becoming mostly uncorrupted, and all she lost was a few trees and that one nagging boulder. The gem wondered if she would be so lucky this time as well, then again...

"I have nothing left.."

"I have no home, no allies, no purpose..."

"I want to finish my mission, to capture Rose Quartz and return to homeworld so justice can be brought to the fall of Pink Diamond."

Selenite was too aware that this Jasper had a few issues to work out and with the knowledge she believed that boy with the so few crystal gem soldiers was in fact their leader. That thought alone worried her a bit, that boy was clearly a human child... yet the confidence and anger the Jasper had shown in defense of her thoughts to that child, made Selenite question it. It made no sense, a gem taking the form of a human child... her mind began to grow blank, numb with the dullness of doing really nothing but sipping from her mug, and staring at her new found guest still snoring loudly along the remains of the couch, a trickle of spittle hanging from the corner of her mouth. Screw this... Turning around and setting the mug on the ground near the archway that lead into the bathroom, Selenite stepped into the small room and peered around real fast, assessing what she had at hand. There was one small folded towel left, safe from the large gem's shower seeing it was in fact too small for her, but just about the right size for Selenite; sort of. Reaching down to the spigots, Selenite upon turning the hot water intermixed with some cold, she peered over her shoulder to the Jasper who continued to snore into the sun lit air of her cabin, the particles of dust drifting lazying around her large slumbering form. A small gnat drifted over to the opened lips of the Jasper, flying about among her exhales of breath, allowing its small form to rise and fall; she was no doubt going to stay asleep for a while longer, just how long, Selenite had no idea nor at the moment cared.

Returning her attention to the tub, the gem switching the water over to the shower head, having the water cascade down into the tub below, she began to make quick work of stripping off the human garb she had been wearing over her bare human shifted form. Why she retained the form, Selenite had a few excuses, one was to carry on the form she had when with A- hmm, with Amethyst as if a way of remembrance, another was she had not been poofed since she had taken this form on and had no reason to reform herself back to the natural form her gem self would take, and a third, laziness? Still, with her clothes placed in a neat little pile on top of the toilet seat, Selenite stepped into the hot shower, a sigh of relief and comfort sliding past her lips as she with eyes closed while pulling the curtain closed, hung her head in the cascading water.

Soon steam bellowed throughout the washroom, the heavy perfumed scent of bathing gels soothed and calmed any rattled nerves that had remained since Selenite's awakening this rather nice sunny morning. That was just it though wasn't it?! Why she felt rattled... Being slapped awake earlier was one thing, then there was the not wanting to disturb the slumbering soldier. She had kept her hand from the front door that with its ruined hinges, would make a crap ton of noise, and thus Selenite was trapped in her own home and when the sun was out, oh how she wanted to sun bathe... A woeful breath was tossed from her lips, spraying droplets away from her mouth as she reaching upward, wiped the water from her eyes and upon blinking any remaining water free, looked up to the spigot that continued to spray hot water onto her bare form.

Soon, almost too soon for her tastes, Selenite turned the water off and as the refuse trickled down the drain, the shower curtain rings faintly clinked while the curtain was pushed aside by a hand. Stepping out onto the still semi sodden floor mat that the Jasper yesterday had sloshed water onto, Selenite with a yawn breaking across her expression, reached for the towel she had settled on the top of the toilet.

"Why do you look like that?"

The towel that had been in her grasp, suddenly was gripped within a white knuckle hold as Selenite standing tall weakly peered over her shoulder to the ruin of a couch where the soldier in a mighty yawn, was sitting up, scratching a large hand across her chest. Nudity while not seen with the same perversion humans seemed to cultivate it as such, the shear fact of this unknown soldier quartz who stood within her home, was staring right at her bare and exposed with a very unimpressed expression. While she knew full well her weapon was just a breath away through the summons of her gem, the sudden being caught off guard yet again was very unnerving to her. A faint flush hung along her facial features as she tightening the small towel as best as she could around her midform, how to explain this to the solider; she had no clue an the dryness in her mouth made it all the more near impossible to speak. Selenite knew right away this soldier would not understand her choice of taking on such an organic form, hell, Amythest sure as hell did not, not at first anyway. It was time to pull some cock and bull out of her ass and fast...

"My diamond- our diamond, had wanted to study humans, but gems do not truly look human. While our appearances are similar, our sizes and design were not, so I had taken the form of a human to help understand the sentient race on this planet."

Pink is gone though, a long time ago she was taken away... why are you still human now?!

She heard the small voice in the back of her head rise up, its terrfied words echoing around as she began to panic on how to make this bullshite of a tale seem logical... to a soldier quartz, should be easy right? Then why did her gut twist so when she was still being stared upon by that single yellow eye...

"I... I remained like this after our Diamond was lost... call it silly, but, I felt... I felt it kept her close even though she was gone..."

It sounded foolish, even to her, a load of crap... The scoff of air escaping the larger gem made Selenite flinch, here comes the tearing down of her feeble walls of this moronic story... Yet there came no laughter.

"Whatever."

Was all the gruff tone rumbled as she unleashing one last heavy yawn, pulled her bulk form from the ruin of the couch causing it to give a faint pitiful moan. Selenite grimmaced at the sight of the once plush couch she had lounged many a nights on reading a book and sipping a drink or three. The sharp cry of the doors ruined hinges, and chill morning air cascasding into the cabin, lathering its cool touch onto her near entirely exposed form, caused the pale gem to shiver and look to the Jasper as she seemed rather still and silent as she faced the outside world of growing daylight.

"Uh... Jasper, you are letting out the warmth... what are you looking at?"

Tucking the towel a bit tighter around her form, Selenite dared take a few steps closer. Upon slipping up beside the larger gem, Selenite peered past her as best as she could over the bulk arm attached to the form clogging the doorway. There not far off, two deer, females full grown were grazing in the increasing sunlight. Blinking, Selenite cautiously looked up to the Jasper whose side of face she was alongside was still consumed by partial corruption, the large coiled horn jutting from her ivory hair.

"Those are deer... they are a nonsentient life form on this planet."

"What is their purpose?"

"Uh... they live, they graze on the plant life. Their purpose is to exist, to create more and live their life."

"Hmph, pathetic."

Her harsh tone caused the nearest doe to flinch, its hindquarters quaking as large black eyes widely stared right at the two gems, massive ears heald forward to catch any little distrubance in the air.

"They are not pathetic, they are connected to this world, without them other creatures could not live."

"If they do not give the head race any true advantage, they have no purpose and should be broken."

Before Selenite could tell her to hush it, the tightly gripped knuckles dully cracked and rough tone caused both deer to bolt, bounding into the dark woods and vanishing out of sight within seconds.

"Damn it Jasper, they normally do not get that close here. You have a lot to learn if you plan on staying here..."

"And what if I do not want to?!"

Hearing the loud words roar over her head, Selenite looked up as the soldier at some point had turned, her vivid yellow eye burning down onto the pale gem. At first she felt hurt rise within her chest, the hand gripping the edge of her towel tightening, yet as the hurt faded, anger roiled within as she scoffing, raising her free hand, jabbed a single finger tightly into Jasper's chest.

"And where will you go? Huh? You have no communication gem, no ship, no home base and those crystal gems know you are out here and will be looking for you. If you want to leave, then leave damn it, but quit being such an ass hole! Now..."

Taking a few sharp breaths to calm the rising rage in her chest, Selenite allowing her free hand to drop back to her side, glared up at the Jasper who watched her, the vibrant yellow eye widened a slight amount.

"...Then, I am going to get dressed, and then I need to go into town, get a new couch, a new door and another bottle of booze. So please... do not scare any more of the wildlife, okay?"

Without look at her any more, Selenite turned and stormed toward her bedroom were upon entering, wrenched the towel away, it becoming forgotten on her thrashed bedding while she fished through her dresser for clean clothes. That soldier was pissing her off, she did not understand anything!

Well... either did any of us when we first came here...

Even if the words whispered in her mind, it was whose voice the spoke in that made the gem pause and numbly look to the shirt in her grasp. They were all new to this world at some point and had to learn it all with little to no previous experience fill in from their higher ups. A heavy breath escaped her lips as she tugging the shirt on, turned and emerged from her bedroom where the front door was still off to the side, the doorway brimming with the rising sunlight. Stepping outside, blinking away the bright rays of light that began to start peaking through the many tree branches above, Selenite saw Jasper standing off to the side near the small stream where the large boulder had once stood. Holding her arms close to her front, Selenite crept closer, careful to stop a few feet away and clearing her throat to indicate her presence nearby. When the Jasper did not speak, Selenite took just a couple more steps forward and upon stepping alongside Jasper's left, peered up at her for a brief moment before looking to the water herself.

"It is beautiful... I knew it was here, and could be approached with some difficulty. I wanted to say thank you again for what you did Jasper."

Greeted with a mere grunt but nothing more than silence, Selenite chanced on going further, her left hand rising up, pale fingers running softly over her gems surface, causing a shiver up her spine.

"Look, I know I welcomed you here, and I understand if you do not wish to stay here, but if you do decide to stay... I can show you, teach you how this world works. It isn't much I can offer, but I do offer that..."

Still, no response nor did she expect one... With a slow exhale, Selenite turned already plotting how to get into town; a sharp cry flew from her lips as she felt as if she had ran into a wall. Her legs staggered on the ground when the large hand had fallen onto her shoulder, the grip firm and holding her in to place, expression twisted into a glare, her breath contained, readying to fuel anger filled words yet it was quickly lost when she saw the soldier's gaze. Lips a thin line, the single good eye stern but focused as she ever so slight, nodded her head toward the pale gem.

She will stay?!

That thought alone was numbing, she had not expected the soldier to agree, and trying to figure out why was impossible and not worth the headache right this moment. Instead, ignoring the faint flush along her features, Selenite smiling, rubbed the back of her hand along her nose.

"Well then, we need to get a new couch that can handle... well, you... Now to figure... how the hell to get you into town, my bike cannot carry us both... hmm...