Prodigal Gem ch. 11

I OWN AND REGRET NOTHING!

…...

-and so the Gems began their search of information on the former CEO of Northwest Industries/Mayor of Beach City...They didn't have to look far...

…...

"The Northwests are the devil incarnate!" Shouted granny Gunga. "They make deal with my husband; he prune their hedges, they pay him 500$ a week."

She shook her head. "I loved my husband...but he could be so naïve!...it was cute...but this time it really blew up in our faces."

She dusted her glasses and continued. "First week, he do good job. When week end he go to Northwests for paycheck. But he get no paycheck! He got lawsuit! 'Fineprint' in deal he signed say he forfeit all rights to all our families patented pizza recipes past, present, future! They sue our family for selling 'their' recipes for the last 50 generations! Lawsuit succeeds! We lose almost everything! Worse, now my husband had to keep pruning their hedges for free!

She wipes a tear from her eye. "He die of dehydration shortly after while pruning hedges! They then grind his body and use it for fertilizer! Worse, they say that week no count! We had to reimburse them for the 'wasted week' and for desecrating my beloved husbands body!"

At this point Granny Gunga is too busy sobbing to continue. So her son Kofi takes up the story.

He sighs. "It was at that point I was forced to take up where my father left off. It was either that or granny would lose custody of me...and I'd go to juvie...I was only 12 at the time."

He shakes his head. "I honestly don't know what's worse; the knowledge that I serve the man who ruined my family...or the knowledge that when I die my daughters will be forced to do the same, lest they be locked in jail for life!

"-Which I am not looking forward to!" Shouts Jenny from nearby. "I mean have you seen his hedges!? Their like the size of football stadiums!..."

…...

Mr. Fryman sighed. "You know, we didn't used to be called the 'Fryman's', originally we were the 'Munitions'.

Fryman shook his head. "Yeah, my grandad used to own a munitions factory. During WWII the Northwests approached him to be the middleman for selling their guns to the Allies. It was a pretty sweet deal...until the OSS bust down his door.

Fryman balled his fists in anger. "Turns out the whole point of the deal was to make my grandad the fall guy for the Northwests selling to both sides of the war...and put themselves in a position to scam his factory and his fortune right out from under him!

Fryman growled. "The majority of my family got arrested! The few of us that didn't had to change our names and go into hiding! But that wasn't enough for the Northwests! Oh,no! They like to make their victims suffer! They deliberately made it impossible for us to live anywhere except their city! Where they can constantly torment us!..."

…...

-He's a ********** **************! ********* on a boat of *********! ****** he can just go******* *****! *********** while he ************! ******** *********that little ********! ***** ******in a bucket ********! Screamed Vidalia.

LANGUAGE! Shouted a flustered Pearl as she covered the ears of an equally flustered Mabel.

Amethyst just gaped at her old friend in amazement. "Dang, Vidalia! I've never seen you this mad! Not even when Marty left!"

Vidalia Snorted. "Yeah, well all Marty did was leave! He never hired pirates to repeatedly rob and beat up my husband just because he wouldn't sell him a treasured family heirloom! Marty never made my husband pay him for the 'privilege' of taking said family heirloom off his hands afterwords! He never then destroyed said heirloom right in front of him, and reveal he only bought it to do that! Because it was so ugly! And I'm pretty sure Marty never tried to burn down my son's DJ party warehouse(while he and his friends were still partying inside no less!), bribe the water company to deactivate the water for the sprinklers, bribe the fire department to not go help; all because he found his songs 'annoying'!"

Vidalia panted in exhaustion after her long rant.

Pearl just looked at her deathly pale. "Right...just to be clear, Preston Northwest DID do all these things?"

Vidalia just glares...

…...

-And so this went on. And the Gems didn't know what was more horrifying; the terrible things they'd been told, or the fact that when they explained why they were asking...the people began to celebrate!...And promised Dipper and his family all they could eat for life!(something Stan was quick to take advantage of)

Garnet still couldn't help but be amazed at how both their cultures differed.

Gems were for the most part a species ruled by logic.

That's not to say they couldn't be cruel or malicious(far from it)...but their was still a underlying logic to it, a pragmatism, a method to the madness.

A random bout of cruelty that would earn them no gain either long-term or short-term was completely alien to them.

Also, even when things were at their worst. Neither side celebrated the death of a Gem...Relieved that a dangerous enemy was out of play? Sure. Celebrate a grand victory? Naturally. But to actually celebrate the death of a single Gem? To feel such hatred for them that you'd burn them in effigy or spit on their corpse? Never!

So busy was Garnets inner contemplation that she almost missed what Stan was saying.

"-It's like I've been telling you Garnet." Said Stan between mouthfuls of free pizza.

"Ain't nobody here feels bad about that jerks death."

"Now wait just a minute!" Shouts Pearl. "Whether the man was well liked or not is beside the point! The point is that he was a human that was murdered in cold blood! This goes against everything Rose sacrificed and stood for! We have to uphold her legacy!"

"Even if it means killing Dipper!?" Shouted an angry Mable!

Pearl looked at her shocked at her outburst. She then tries to placate her.

"Sweetie it's more complicated than that-"

HOW!? Demanded Mabel. "Everything I've heard today shows that Dipper was completely in the right to kill him! That man was a monster! He and his family hurt my friends and their family! In fact give me one reason why I shouldn't run off to find Dipper and help him hide from you!"

Stan sighed. "I'm sorry sweetie. But there actually is a legitimate reason...which I'm not allowed to tell." He says while glaring at Pearl.

Pearl glares back, and is about to retort-

"Stan's right, it's time she knew about the kindergartens." Said Garnet suddenly.

Pearl gaped at her. "But Garnet she's too young-"

"-No more, secrets." Said Garnet flatly. And Pearl knew the matter was closed.

And so while Garnet explained things to an increasingly horrified Mable, Pearl sulked.

It didn't help matters that the citizens were already burning Preston Northwest in effigy while singing-

Ding Dong the jerk is dead!

Which old jerk?

The Wicked Jerk!

Pearl was appalled! "This is obscene!" She stated angrily. "The death of a member of ones own species is terrible, tragic thing! Regardless of the circumstances! It should be a time of morning and self-reflection...Not this travesty!"

Stan rolled his eyes as he scarfed more Pizza. "Will you give it a rest with the fruity romantization crap? Just let them enjoy this brief time of peace before that jerks daughter Pacifica takes up the reigns-"

Suddenly Stan found himself hoisted into the air looking into the eyes of a very scarily focused and intense Garnet.

REPEAT. THAT. NAME.

…..It wasn't a question...

…..OMAKE...

-Hi! I'm Steve Pinington! (Pulls at Band-aid on his arm) Are you sick of bandages that are hard to remove! Then what you need is the Rip Off!

The Rip Off won't give you rashes, I repeat: it won't give you rashes. (The words "IT WON'T GIVE YOU RASHES" appears on the screen)-

"-I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume it gives you rashes." Guessed Garnet.

"Worse, Leprosy." Admitted Stanley. The Gems winched sympathetically.

Except for Pearl who was stuck on the name. "Rip off? Seriously? Dose he- How dose he not hear how ridiculously horrible the name is?"

"That's what makes it funny!" Shouts Amethyst as she puts on another commercial...

…...

TO BE CONTINUED?

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