AN: Oh hey, I'm back, with the next chapter of Sparklepre! I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, which ended up taking a bit of a different form than I was planning at first- but I think it's better this way? It's time for a Ruriiro focus episode, with a bit of Nodoka bonding time. As always, I thank those of you who read this fanseries, and it would be really nice if you could leave a review at the end of the chapter!
Until next time!
Sparkle Precure
Episode Eleven
It's Alright! There's Nothing Wrong with Mistakes!
"Hey, hey, did you hear?"
"I heard, I heard!"
To be honest, there was nothing more that Kahaya Ruriiro would like to do right now than bury her head in the dirt. Sadly, not only was she currently indoors, she had a feeling that wouldn't come anywhere close to solving her current problem- probably even the worms would be talking about what she didn't want to hear about. It was all she could do to lower her head on her desk, hiding her face with her arms, hoping that class would start soon, and that she wouldn't have to hear anything else. If she had known it was going to be like this today, she would have just come to school late, so as to avoid the before class gossip session.
Well, even if she did that, she would still have to deal with the lunch time rumor mill- that was just her luck, after all.
It seemed that no matter where she went, the hot topic on everyone's lips were the rumored legendary warriors- the Precure. In reality, she probably should have expected this much when she agreed to become one, but she hadn't been thinking about that at the time. Now that she had had some time to let it sink in, however... she couldn't help but notice the way that it made her stand out.
Even if she wasn't wearing an appearance that was completely her own when she was Cure Lapis, and therefore the likelihood that someone would recognize her was rather slim. It was more than enough to make her thoroughly self-conciseness about it. Even that, she could probably deal with to an extent, and indeed, she had been ever since she had taken up this role. The current problem, however, was...
"You saw it, didn't you? That video? It was super hilarious!"
"I did, I did! I guess even a so-called legendary warrior can do that sort of thing from time to time!"
Burying herself in the sand really did sound ideal right now. She loved her brother dearly, but she sometimes had to wonder if all of their luck had gone to him in the womb- in what other circumstances would she have been caught on film taking a wrong step, and tripping over her own feet?
And in the middle of battle, too. The others had to scramble to cover her, as they missed their chance to take down the Dark Gem Monster in that moment- all because of her. Even in her one sanctuary, she couldn't manage to escape from it- the video had quickly gone viral. She should have expected that, really. Ever since they had started garnering local attention, the battles between the Precure and the Dark Gem Monsters had started to spread over the Internet at a rapid pace. It was truly the topic of the day, no matter where you went.
So when one of them managed to make such an embarrassing mistake, and furthermore, that mistake was caught on film- of course it was going to be everywhere in the blink of an eye.
"Oi, you two." Making out the sound of her brother's voice, and very easily making out the irritated note that it held, Ruriiro spared a slight glance upwards, past her impromptu shield. "Can't you pay some attention to your surroundings before you start chattering away? Don't just hover in front of someone's desk like that. You're bothering Ruri."
"Eh? Someone's...?" Glancing behind her, a bright pink color lit up the girl's cheeks, as she quickly realized that there had been someone behind her all along. "Ah, sorry, sorry! I didn't notice you there at all!" With an apologetic smile on her face, she spared Ruriiro one more glance, before she hurried back to her own desk.
"Honestly. You've sat there ever since the beginning of the year, so I don't know why she's acting so shocked that someone was sitting there. Is that girl really okay?" Yuusei couldn't help but ask, before casting a glance down towards Ruriiro, a slight frown crossing his face. He knew that she wasn't exactly taking the current attention that she was getting very well- and frankly, he couldn't blame her. In the first place, the spotlight was something that she had always struggled with, so to have it cast on her so suddenly, in such a way...
Well, it was a good thing that the identities of the Precure were secret, otherwise she might not even want to leave the house.
"It's okay, Yuu." Sparing her brother a small smile, fingers twirling a strand of her hair in a nervous gesture. That sort of thing happened all the time, really, she had more than gotten used to that. Besides, she knew that wasn't the real reason why he was annoyed- he really was a kind person, this little brother of hers. "I already know that I don't usually stand out that much." There was a slight pause there, her hand all but freezing in place as her smile grew somewhat weaker. "Usually."
"It'll be alright, Ruri." Giving her a small smile, Yuusei folded his arms in front of his chest. "It'll probably blow over soon enough. Everyone makes mistakes like that sometimes- it wasn't really a big deal. For what it's worth, I think you're doing great."
"Y-yeah, you're right." With a slight nod of her head, Ruriiro managed to give him another sheepish smile, before her expression disappeared behind her mass of bangs. He was probably right- it would go away on it's own soon enough. That was how these sorts of things worked, right? "Thank you, Yuu."
But, even if she knew that much, actually trying to put the matter aside was harder than she thought. Maybe it would be for the best if Cure Lapis didn't appear for awhile, she couldn't help but think. If she was just going to let people down like that at such a critical moment, maybe it would have been better if she had never become a Precure after all.
No, no, that wouldn't do! If she did something like that, Yuusei wouldn't be able to transform either- Pearl had told her that the two of them were connected, after all, even if she didn't quite understand it herself. She couldn't just leave Diamond and Ruby to fight on their own, all because she was a little embarrassed over a perfectly normal mistake. Running away from her problems wouldn't solve anything- even if it was tempting, and even if it did mean that she wouldn't have a chance to make another mistake like that again.
At the time, with it carefully tucked underneath her clothes as it was, she didn't quite notice the way the gemstone on her pendent lost a bit of it's shine.
"They're really talking about it like crazy over here too. It's like they've got nothing else better to talk about." With a slight sigh, Naiya couldn't help but lean back, shifting her legs so that they rested on the top of her desk. The person who sat in the desk right in front of her shot her something of a dirty look, but she brushed it off- it wasn't like they were sitting there right at the moment, so what was the big deal?
Besides, it was lunch break, so she was free to do what she wanted, as far as she was concerned- and it was too much of a pain to take her phone call outside. It wasn't like anyone would associate someone like her with the Precure to begin with, no matter what thy overheard her saying.
"It's the same way over here." Nodoka told her with a slight frown. "Even Yumi and the others were talking about it this morning. I managed to convince them to stop, but..."
"If you do something like that, it'll only make you stand out, you know. They'll wonder why you care so much." Naiya pointed out, arching a brow. "But well, I get what you're feeling right now. Given how mousy that girl is, there's no doubt that she probably wants to curl up into a hole somewhere and hide there for the rest of the month, until everything blows over. Not that I can blame her."
It had been a bit of a bother, if she had to be honest, but it wasn't like it had really put them in dangerous situation, and they had been more than able to recover from it. It was just a simple mistake, that anyone could have done, nothing to beat oneself up over. But judging from the look in her eyes, and the way she wouldn't face any of them after the battle had wrapped up, she suspected that Ruriiro probably didn't the feel the same way.
Well, she could understand having confidence issues, at least a little bit. They were a thing of the past for her, at least in the way that they manifested in Ruriiro, but she could understand where she was coming from, even so. It was that sort of thing that had lead her to her current problem in the first place- in that regard, the mousy girl was doing a lot better than she was at handling them.
"I tried calling Yuusei-kun earlier, and he says that she at least went to school today, but..." Heaving a long sigh, Nodoka cast a glance down towards the school's courtyard. The school's roof was a good place to make what she thought were private phone calls- although judging from the chatter on the other side of Naiya's line, she really didn't think it was private herself. "I think we should go see her today. Pearl too."
"I'll pass." Naiya said simply, closing her eyes. "If I go, I might say something that will make her feel worse."
"Oh, so you're aware of it?" Nodoka couldn't help but observe, arching a brow.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Even though she knew that Nodoka had a point, Naiya couldn't help but grumble. "Even I can be perfectly pleasant if I put effort into it!"
"That's certainly news to me." Snapping her eyes open at the sound of that all too familiar voice, Naiya felt the faintest tint of pink creep into her cheeks when she realized who it was that was looking down at her, a rather cross expression on his face. Letting out a long sigh, Hirata cast a glance over towards where the owner of the chair that Naiya had rested her feet on was watching them, before turning that same gaze back on her. "Getting comfortable is one thing, Iemochi, but Yamahara-kun over there seems to want his seat back already."
"Geez, can't ya see I'm on the phone, Hirata-chan? Which one of us was supposed to have the bad manners again?" Even as she shot him a rather annoyed look, she shifted her legs from their current position, once more sliding them beneath her desk, where they usually belonged.
If he was the one asking her, she wasn't exactly going to say no.
"I'm not the one who uses other people's chairs as a footrest." Hirata observed, quirking a brow. "You're always doing that to Yamahara-kun too. Did he do something to you?"
"It's not my fault that he sits in front of me." Naiya observed, simply shrugging her shoulders. "He should blame the teacher, for arranging the seats that way. Or? Are you saying that you feel lonely without me sitting behind you, like I was last year, Hirata-chan? You really shouldn't! I'm still your seat neighbor, after all."
"No, not at all." Saying it as bluntly as he possibly could, Hirata heaved a long sigh. "Well, whatever. I'll let you get back to your phone call, Iemochi. Tell Jo-san that I said hello, and to seriously reconsider her choice in friends. She's the one you're talking to, right?"
"Oh, Nodoka. Hirata-chan says that you should reconsider becoming friends with him." The words that slipped from her this time were completely on purpose, and she didn't regret them one bit- if he was going to tease her like that, she was allowed to do a bit of the same back! Casting a teasing grin up towards Hirata, she couldn't help but feel it grow as she watched him twitch.
"You know that wasn't what I meant." Heaving another sigh, deciding to put the matter behind him before he only gave himself a headache, Hirata shook his head. "Don't forget you're the one on duty today, Iemochi. Don't dump it on someone else again."
"Yes, yes, yes~." With a slight wave of her hand, she watched as Hirata made his way out of the classroom, waiting until he had properly left to once more move her legs, planting them right back where they had been just before- much to the visible annoyance of Yamahara. That was what he got, when he dared to take the last yakisoba bread out from under her, when it would have otherwise been hers to have. As far as she was concerned, he got what he deserved, cutting her off like that.
"As always, the two of you are getting along, in that special way of yours." She didn't need to see Nodoka's expression to know that it was an amused one- that much was clear from her tone of voice alone.
"Shut up."
As she thought, even on the Internet, she couldn't escape it. And it was usually the one place where she could properly express herself- her safe haven, where she didn't have to worry about her own social anxiety. It was so easy to speak with people when she didn't have to look them in the eyes!
Or it was most of the time. Right now, as she watched the link to the video being spread around in some of her favorite circles, she couldn't find any words at all to say. She knew that they didn't mean anything bad by it, and most of them would stop if they knew the truth, but even so... she couldn't make herself say anything.
Heaving a long sigh, for the moment, Ruriiro shut her laptop, closing her eyes. This would all die down in a few days, probably- Yuusei had told her that much, and she believed him. It wasn't like any of her other team members were giving her a hard time about it either, and it was true that everyone made these kinds of mistakes from time to time.
With a slight frown, she placed a hand over where she had hidden her pendent, gripping it somewhat tightly. If she only could use that same magical power that granted her such strength, to go back in time and stop such an embarrassing thing from getting caught on video- but she imagined it wasn't that easy.
Hearing the sound of the doorbell ring, Ruriiro frowned, getting to her feet. Heading over towards her window, she couldn't help but wonder who was visiting at this time- she didn't think there were any packages that were supposed to come today, and dealing with them was Yuusei's job anyways, when their mother wasn't home. Pulling back the curtains an inch, she cast a glance down towards the front door, catching sight of what were becoming a rather familiar pair of pigtails.
Nodoka? What had she come out all this way for? And wasn't that Pearl by her feet?
Glancing around, taking note of the fact that Naiya wasn't anywhere around, she couldn't help but let out a slight sigh of relief. She really wasn't good at dealing with that type- although she still struggled with girls like Nodoka just as well, they were generally still somewhat easier to deal with. Still, that said, what was she here for? She hadn't possibly come out all this way just to see her, had she?
At the sound of the door opening up below, she let the curtains fall back into place, turning on her heel away from the window. Had she really come out all this way just because of her? Her hand once more straying up towards where her charm pendent hung, she felt a trace of a fond smile cross her face.
Maybe... Maybe the two of them had come out all this way because they were worried about her. Because they wanted to make sure she was alright after something like that had happened.
Ah, but... what if it was because she had screwed up? Maybe they were coming to tell her to hand over her charm pendent, that they were going to find someone else to replace her. No, no, something that minor, no matter how embarrassing and ill-timed it had been, didn't seem like the sort of thing that would disqualify someone from being a Precure. Even as she thought that, she felt her grip on her pendent tighten, her brows furrowing together. Even though she knew something like that couldn't possibly be the case, she just couldn't shake this anxious feeling in her heart.
"Oi, Ruri!" Hearing her brother's voice call out from downstairs, she felt her heart lurch in her chest, even though she had been expecting it. "Nodoka-san and Pearl are here to visit! Why don't you come down when you get the chance? Nodoka-san brought some cheesecake over for us!"
W-well, she did like cheesecake, so...
Carefully creeping towards the door, she quietly opened it just a smidgen, peeking out of the gap that it formed. Barely just able to make out Nodoka's pigtails from where her room was, she frowned a little, wondering if she should really go downstairs and see her. Still, if she really had come out all this way just to see her, then wouldn't it be rude to hole herself up inside of her room?
But what if she really did have something bad to say to her? No, no, Nodoka wasn't that sort of person. She wouldn't do something like that!
Taking in and letting out a deep breath, Ruriiro steadied herself. It would be fine- Nodoka was a nice girl, and although she wasn't quite sure how to deal with her just yet, she did want to become friends with her. Swallowing, she carefully opened up the door to her room, taking a quiet step outside, peering downstairs.
"Oh, Ruri, there you are! I thought for sure you would have been busy with your game, or whatever." Glancing up in her direction, Yuusei flashed her a quick smile. "Well? You want to come eat some cheesecake with us in the living room? Ah, but, come to think of it..." Pausing to glance down at Pearl, he tilted his head slightly, a frown crossing his face. "...Can you even eat cheesecake?"
"I can!" Pearl told him, giving him a firm nod of her head- or the best she could manage in her current form. "I'm not actually a real platypus, you know."
"No, well, I kind of suspected that much." Yuusei couldn't help but quip, even as he directed his gaze back upstairs towards his sister. "Well? It's your favorite type too, seems like, with the strawberries."
Her favorite type! Perking up right away at that offer, Ruriiro knew there was no way she could possibly refuse something like that. So she would be brave, and spend some time pleasantly chatting with Nodoka and Pearl, both of whom who had come out all this way to see her, and forget about her troubles. If they had brought a gift for her, there was no way that they could be mad, right?
Besides, nothing in the world could go wrong when one was eating cheesecake!
Or well, that had been the working theory, at any rate. It had been a good one while it had lasted.
No sooner than had she taken her first bite of the much awaited cheesecake, did they all hear it. The cry of something that couldn't possibly be human, echoing from the distance- a cry that was slowly starting to become more and more familiar to her, and one that always, without fail, caused her heart to pound.
For a variety of reasons.
"That's-!" The first one to spring to her feet was Nodoka, her eyes quickly narrowing. Turning her gaze down towards Pearl, the two of them exchanged a look, silently communicating that there was no mistake- a Dark Gem Monster had appeared once more. "Pearl, you contact Naiya-chan and tell her to rush over here as soon as she can! In the meantime, the three of us will hold the monster at bay."
"I got it. Be careful, you three." Her expression turning serious, Pearl fixed her gaze on the three before her. Already, she found herself wondering what kind of stone would turn up today. Would it be the usual moonstone, or another amethyst, the only hint of the mysterious Loveless that had yet to appear before them.
"It's really a good thing mom is out with friends today." Yuusei couldn't help but remark, setting down his fork, glancing over towards his sister. With a slight smile, he offered her his hand- it wasn't hard to tell that she was worried that something like last time might happen again. "Come on, Ruri. It'll be fine."
"Y-yeah." Her own doubts clear as day on her voice, even as he bangs masked her expression somewhat, Ruriiro slowly reached out to take his hand, using it to carefully pull herself to her feet. "You're right, Yuu. It'll probably be fine, right?"
More than anyone else, the one she was trying to convince was herself. What if she managed to make herself a laughingstock for a second time in a row? Maybe she really wasn't cut out to be a Precure after all.
No, no, she really couldn't allow herself to think like that! Making out a flash of red in the corner of her eye, she knew that Nodoka had already transformed, and was now waiting on the twins to join her, before they headed off to where the Dark Gem Monster was rampaging. It would be fine... it really would be fine!
Still hand in hand with her brother, she felt her grip tighten on her charm pendent- though she wasn't quite sure when she had grasped it in the first place. Swallowing back her anxieties as best as she could, she slowly pulled it out from underneath her clothes, once more trying to convince herself that things would be fine- what happened last time was just a simple mistake, the kind anyone could make!
"It's really not that bad, you know. What happened the other day." The sound of Ruby's voice startling her from her own thoughts, Ruriiro turned towards her. Giving her a gentle smile, the red Precure simply placed one hand over her heart. "You know, I almost became a victim of a piece of Dark Gem Jewelry myself. If it weren't for Pearl showing up when she did, then I would probably would have become a Dark Gem Monster myself."
"Compared to that, I think you're probably way more qualified to be a Precure than I am, Ruri-chan. Even though you're shy, you're doing your best to fight, and I think that's amazing, you know." She didn't need her to say in so many words what it was that she was worried about- she could tell that much just by looking at her face. It wasn't so much the fact that the entire world was able to see her mistake that was troubling her- but rather, it was the fact that she had made one in the first place. "Besides, we're teammates, right? Even if you mess something up, the three of us are here to cover you. So you really don't have to worry about something like that."
"She's right." With a simple shrug of his shoulders, Yuusei reached out with his free hand, carefully ruffling Ruriiro's hair, an easy grin on his face. "Even I've made embarrassing mistakes during matches. Don't tell me you've forgotten that one time I caught the ball with my face?"
"See?" With a quick grin of her own, Ruby reached out to take Ruriiro's other hand, carefully holding it within her own. "You're fine, Ruri-chan. Even if you mess up again this time, or mess up a bunch of times in the future, it's fine. We were each selected for this role for a reason, and I know that we couldn't do it without you. I'm sure even Naiya-chan feels the same way."
Opening her mouth, only to shut it again, finding that she didn't quite know what to say- she was used to her brother reassuring her when things went wrong, but this was... As a faint smile crossed her lips, her grip on Ruby's hand tightened, her expression once more buried underneath her bangs- but this time for different reasons. Her slightly flushed cheeks weren't something that she was quite ready to show to other people, even someone she thought that maybe, just maybe, she had a real chance to become friends with.
Maybe sometime in the future, though, she would be able to show such an expression to her.
"Thank you." Though the words escaped her without meaning to, Ruriiro could only smile, pulling her hand away from Ruby's only to once more grasp her charm pendent, the jewel embedded inside once more glittering a vivid color. "Then, we have a duty to fulfill, right?"
"That's right." With a quick nod of his head, Yuusei felt his smile grow. Perhaps his instincts hadn't been wrong after all- perhaps this was exactly what his sister needed to start to come out of the shell that she had buried herself in, bit by bit, at her own pace. Reaching underneath his shirt, he pulled out his own charm pendent, carefully holding it in his hand. "Then, let's go, Ruri."
"Precure! Sparkle and Shine!"
"You did that on purpose."
"I have simply no idea what you mean." Barely glancing up from her phone, Naiya only just barely moved her arm as the waitress delivered her order. She didn't want to see the teasing expression on the face of the brunette sitting across from her anyways. "I think everyone makes mistakes like that from time to time."
"Oh? Really?" Unable to help herself, a sly grin crossed Nodoka's face, briefly pausing only to thank the waitress for bringing them their food. "It sure didn't seem that way to me, Naiya-chan. It looked a lot to me like you did that so people would stop talking about Ruri-chan's mistake the other day."
"Don't be stupid. Who would do something like that on purpose?" Only now briefly sparing Nodoka a look, she couldn't help but grimace- but this time, it wasn't so much because of the expression on her face, but because of the monstrous parfait that sat in front her. "I thought we came here to get lunch."
"This is lunch. See, there's fruits." Nodoka told her, carefully tapping her spoon against the glass, where a layer of strawberries sat. "That makes it healthy. Don't try and distract me from the subject though!" Wagging her spoon in the blonde's direction, she couldn't help but let her smile grow once more, carefully pulling her own phone from where she had tucked it in her purse. "Maybe I should play the video one more time~."
Shooting her a dirty look, Naiya could only grumble to herself as she watched it bounce off of her without much effect. There were drawbacks, apparently, to people being able to see through her bristly exterior personality. Being able to silence people's annoying ideas with a glare was one aspect of that that she rather enjoyed, all things considered. "Well, it's not like it's a big deal. Better me, than that fragile hamster."
"As usual, your nicknaming sense leaves plenty to be desired." Nodoka couldn't help but note, using her free hand to take a bite out of her parfait. "That's right, I wonder if Ui-san has seen the video yet. Maybe I should send it to him~."
"Oh? You seem to be getting pretty full of yourself these days, Nodoka." It might have not worked the first time, but that wouldn't stop Naiya from shooting the brunette another dirty look- before her eyes narrowed, and she leaned across the table. "Wait, when did you get Hirata's phone number? Even I don't have it yet!"
"I asked him for it, the other day." Nodoka said simply. "He gave it to me right away, saying to call him if I was ever in trouble. Probably because of you, he meant."
"What's that supposed to mean? When have I ever gotten anyone in trouble?" Placing a hand on her chest, an offended look crossed Naiya's face, one that barely lasted a second. "I'll have you know I'm far too busy getting myself in trouble to get anyone else in trouble!"
"I really can't come up with a counter argument to that." Tapping her phone against her chin, Nodoka gave her something of a considering look. "Then, do you want it? Ui-san's phone number, that is."
"That depends on what it is that I have to do to get it from you." Leaning back against the booth, Naiya folded her arms in front of her chest, quirking a brow.
"Admit that you fell off that roof in our last battle on purpose." Nodoka told her. "That you did it because you care about Ruri-chan too."
"I have simply no idea what you mean." Reaching for her napkin, Naiya carefully unfolded it, placing it in her lap, before reaching for her silverware. "I won't say something that's obviously not true."
"Geez, there's no need to be so shy!" With a quick smile, Nodoka set down her phone, taking another bite out of her parfait. "Well, that awkward kindness of yours is one of your very few charm points."
"I have plenty of charm points, I'll have you know!" Puffing out her cheeks a little, Naiya shot the younger girl another dirty look, before letting the subject roll off of her. There were more important things to discuss than the maneuver that she had definitely done on purpose. She might not be able to cheer her up with words, and would probably only make things worse if she tried, but if there was one thing that she knew how to do, and do well, it was screw up.
A legendary warrior overestimating the amount of roof that she had left, and letting out the most undignified yelp possible, was by far, far more hilarious that one who had simply lost her footing for just a second.
Not that she would ever admit it out loud- not in a million years. Especially not when the one asking her to had that kind of look on her face. Maybe Hirata was right, maybe Nodoka really should reconsider her choice of friends- because she was pretty sure she was starting to rub off on her, just a little.
"More importantly, another one came out this time, didn't it? Another amethyst." Her expression shifting to become more serious, Naiya's eyes narrowed. "It would appear that Pearl was right. Besides Moonstone, there's another Loveless out there, one that we haven't met yet."
"And given the fact that nobody ever came back to claim that ring that Yuusei-kun's friend found, it's possible that they're using different tactics than she is." Recalling the way that the woman who called herself Moonstone had approached her, tricking her into buying that piece of Dark Gem Jewelry, Nodoka narrowed her eyes. "The first one was found when Ruriiro-chan and Yuusei-kun joined us, right?"
"That's right. That makes three that we've found, including the one from the last attack. Come to think of it, all three of there of them were found in Furukata. Maybe she's in charge over there?" Naiya noted. "Moonstone is obviously still active, since we've recovered two moonstones as well, both of them here, in Shiroyama. I think Pearl was going to look into the matter, to see if she could dig up any information about this third member."
"I wonder where she got her information on the first two from to start with." Placing a hand on her chin, a considering look crossed Nodoka's face. "She sure can be a mysterious one, sometimes."
"Well, I get the feeling she'll tell us when the time comes. Maybe she's waiting for all of us to gather, or something?" With a shrug of her shoulders, Naiya brushed the question off. It was true that Pearl was probably keeping a few things from them- but she didn't think it was for any malicious reason. "At any rate, we should be prepared to face this Amethyst person at some point. Judging by her tactics, she might be a tricky one."
"Yeah, that's right." With a stern nod of her head, and a serious expression that lasted all of three seconds, Nodoka once more picked up her cellphone. With a glimmer of mischief in her eyes, she once again brought up her browser. "But until then, I think I'll watch Naiya-chan's embarrassing video one more time~."
"Shut up."
"It's no wonder that you can't manage to turn up any results, using such a slow method as that. Like that, it'll take a week or so for those Dark Gems to gain any real traction, unless you get lucky with someone."
Her shoulders tensing up was the only reaction that Moonstone gave her- and for the woman who had called out to her, she knew that was already more than enough. Watching as the customer she had just sold a piece of Dark Gem Jewelry to walked off out of the corner of her eye, she wondered at what point she had shown up. Swallowing hard, she slowly turned her gaze towards the dark skinned woman, who had appeared without so much as a warning, drawing in a breath to steady herself.
No matter what, she just couldn't get used to dealing with this person. The fact that she was constantly in Garnet's favor, even in times when she herself fell from it, was really the least of her worries.
"What brings you here, Amethyst?" Moonstone asked, composing herself. She already knew the answer to that question. "I thought your territory was in the neighboring town."
"It is." With a slight shrug of her shoulders, the woman named Amethyst leaned against the makeshift table that Moonstone had set up, putting up shop just off of one of the main shopping streets. "Is something wrong with coming to see one of my coworkers, though? You might complain about me, but at least I'm not ripping them off."
"The Dark Gems that you pass out are already filled with negative energy." Moonstone noted, her eyes narrowing as she spoke. "That might make them maturing into Dark Gem Monsters faster, but it's not good for the ones who fall victim to it. If they're already in a weakened state..."
"Oh, don't tell me that you actually care about such things?" With a slight blink, a rather coy grin worked it's way across Amethyst's face, violet eyes settling on that of the other woman's. Blowing a stray stand of her equally violet hair out of her eyes, the short haired woman merely shrugged her shoulders. "It doesn't matter, does it? That's our goal, anyways. This world would be better without something as foolish as love in the first place, so you could say that we're doing everyone a favor, really."
"But-!" Opening up her mouth to protest, she found herself quickly cut off, a finger placed against her lips. Narrowing her eyes, Moonstone reached up, swatting the hand away. "Even so, there's no need to make them suffer needlessly! Just letting it happen naturally is much safer!"
"As usual, you say boring things." Not looking the least bit perturbed, Amethyst merely folded her arms in front of her chest, amusement twinkling in her gaze. "But I suppose that you're different form us to start with. I can't say that I hate it- if you threw those complex feelings of yours away, you'd be nothing more than an empty shell. That would be so boring, so I really can't say that I recommend it."
"I am not here to entertain you." Though she could feel her anger boiling up inside of her, she did her best to fight it back down, to keep it from coming to the surface. It wouldn't do her any good, not against this woman.
"And yet you do it anyways. A nice bonus, in so far as I'm concerned. Well," pushing herself up from her leaning position, she tucked her hands in the pockets of her black pants, "...I'm getting a little bored myself, all things considered. I think it's about time that I introduced myself properly to those four. They look like a fun bunch."
"Do what you want." Closing her eyes, Moonstone turned sharply on her heel, once more facing forward. "It's not like you need my permission for anything. As long as my lord approves of it, I don't have any right to stop you."
"That's right. You had better keep that in mind. We can't have those useless emotions that you refuse to toss aside getting in our way." Amethyst said simply, taking a step forward, before pausing, a wicked glint dancing in her eyes. "But, I suppose given your relationship with him, I don't think that will ever be an issue. Even if I decided to target that person next, you still wouldn't be able to do anything to stop me."
"You can't!" Her eyes going wide, Moonstone turned on her heel, silver-gray hair dancing in the air. "I don't care what you do to anyone else, nor how you do it, but that person is off limits!"
"Oh?" Letting out a low whistle, Amethyst merely shrugged her shoulders, taking another step forward. "Well, I wouldn't do something like that. They have that pain in the ass right by their side, and I'd rather not get involved with that. Besides," with a flick of her fingers, a photograph appeared in between them, "...I've already picked out my next target. It should be fun!"