A message: "Hello Red. I'm calling to let you know that your Pearl talked to mine the other day, in an attempt to speak with me. I don't bring this up so you'll punish her. Please don't. She's concerned about you, and so am I. Please come and see me when you have the chance. I know White Diamond instructed you not to reach out to me first, and given how intimidating she is, I can see why you didn't. But I'd like to talk to you. As usual, I'll be in my chambers when my shift is over."

All of that speaking had turned Goshenite's cheeks grey.

She had changed her hair too. It fell just to the beginning at her neck, around her jaw.

Something kicked inside Red's stomach, and despite the unwavering pile of messages littering her inbox, she went after her shift ended to visit Goshenite.

The guards had left and like before, Snowy greeted her once those enormous doors came open. Though, upon casting as much as a glance on Red Beryl's face, her hair stood on end. And Red felt as her fascination stuck to the sharp ends of her light yellow teeth, the nature of her unruly hair, and the deep bags accumulating like a pile of trash beneath her golden eyes.

"Please follow me, Lady Red Beryl. Madame Goshenite awaits you."

The main room had been filled with flowers from numerous well-wishers. The largest of which being in the center of exhibit, with the blossom somehow arranged into a pattern made from stripes of marvelous color, with a stand to hold it up. In the center was a note written in sparkling silver: "Get well soon, Darling!" It was surrounded by several lesser bouquets.

Red walked past two different sets of pigmented blood stains in the carpet. Some of them had dried dark brown while the others were a sickly grey.

Her stomach weaved itself into complex knots, just as she fell into Goshenite's embrace.

And Red's arms, in response, wrapped as tightly around the other gem as they could, until her back cracked. There were even a few notes of laughter, and somehow, the younger aristocrat managed to squeeze even more.

Red, you look exhausted.

Goshenite, I'm so sorry.

A few warm droplets of water fell onto the phantom's shoulder. And Goshenite coasted her long, milk white fingers through Red's rough burgundy hair. Then a static full of emotions happened between them, and even the inside of their minds did not make coherent words.

Along Red's shoulder, Goshenite saw the scar her blade had drawn. It went on for such a long time and stood out like the roots of a large tree, branching out in certain places and a little rough to the touch.

Red flinched at the feeling of her friend's finger prints, as well as her newly sharpened nails and nauseous intrigue.

I didn't even know I had done this to you—

You shouldn't feel badly about it. This whole fiasco was my fault—

Even so, I doubt I would have needed to cut you so deeply—it was all wordless emotion of many, many colors. I'm sorry, Red.

You don't need to apologize.

The embrace broke apart and both women looked at one another. Though, vision on either side was blurry.

For long moments, each party observed what she done to the other. Where Red Beryl's teeth were sharpened and yellowed, Goshenite's were entirely black with canines bent into fangs. A memory told of the phantom's singed hair being cut away by two of White Diamond's extremely talented Pearls, and how the Queen waited in her chair in the main room for all three of them to come out, while Snowy served her literal gallons of tea in a cup the servant could practically bathe in.

And then Goshenite emerged, standing near the banister of her staircase.

White Diamond set down her tea cup, and with the clacking of fashionable heels, came over. "You look fabulous!" Those enormous silver eyes looked the little noble over. "Strike a pose for me."

So Goshenite put her hands on her hips and bent one of her legs, lightly flipping her freshly cut hair. Her expression was fierce.

The empress laughed and kissed her on the cheek.

And Red showed Goshenite how she struggled getting her hair to cooperate, and how it blatantly refused to be organized inside a bun any more.

It looks nice on you, though.

Thank you. Your hair looks nice too.

But it was only so long before the rawest parts of Red's cuts revealed themselves through memories and distracted, distraught thoughts. Many of the wounds she had made flogging herself with the hard leather tendrils of self-criticism still bled. From those lesions, Goshenite received Red's passionate crimson blood on her own hands. Yet, she did not move her fingers away nor close her eyes in wishful ignorance of the pain. Instead, Goshenite drew her in again and let her pure white dress act as a bandage for those leaking cuts, even though doing so was akin to embracing a cactus. It brought tears to her eyes as the pins and needles punctured her flesh as well.

I can go if—

No. Goshenite touched her forehead to Red Beryl's. You intend on going back to work, even though you haven't left in ages. Stay here. You can't avoid these negative feelings forever. Burying them beneath a mountain of responsibility won't make them disappear. If anything, it will solidify them.

Why are you being so kind to me? I thought—

I understand why you did what you did, Red. Of course, I wish it wouldn't have had to come to what it did, but I understand that too. I'm sorry finding out hasn't made you any happier, but I think anyone would have been tempted to keep pushing. And you, being exactly who are, couldn't have possibly resisted the truth and the knowledge, even though it's hurt you.

Red wept again.

Come, let's sit in my tea room. I want to talk about this.

And the sacred mirror realm began to form around those two gems again. Though, what had formed was a field after a fire, with a blank ground and the black skeletons of burnt trees appearing one at a time against the barren landscape, with the backdrop of a frosty sky.

Goshenite planted a few seeds.

Red Beryl watered them.

And they both sat on a silver blanket, drinking tea that Snowy had brought.

Once she went away, Goshenite asked: "Red, why do you want to kill Morganite so badly? She wasn't so terrible. Actually, she was quite kind, given the short time I spent with her."

"How could you say that?!" The younger noble wiped her eyes. "She's a traitor!"

"Well surely she appears that way! She belonged to the wrong Diamond. Morganite should have been in Pink's court, but since her demise, I suppose Yellow's would be closest fit." Between them appeared the image of that heart-shaped champagne gem and her slight orange tones. "Morganite was doomed from the beginning. I thought she might be happier under my Diamond, but she would have been mismatched." And that little pink loser appeared, wearing an ornate grey dress with an arrangement of four pretty crème points along the front. "But I don't know that she would be able to do my job either. I've damaged quite a few liars and Morganite always seemed a bit too gentle to purposefully scramble someone else's thoughts."

There was a relative silence, where Red considered the image of the gem that came before her; that stupid face; those ridiculous eyebrows that sat like obese caterpillars on her moronic brow; fat lips that were always arranged into a dumb grin; that idiotic gem, shaped ever so preciously into a heart.

A heart that Red divided into four rough chambers with sharp edges, sitting in the palm of her crimson hand.

"My goodness. What did she ever do to you?"

"Nothing. I can dislike whoever I please."

"Certainly, but it's generally good to have some kind of reason. At this point, you have more cause to dislike your own Diamond than that gem."

Red did not speak, though her lips hung agape. Where Morganite stood before, wearing her theoretical White Diamonds, appeared the broken pieces of a gorgeous black Pearl and its aquamarine tint. In the cloudy sky were a few flashes of lighting that had yet to strike.

And inside her head, Red found a pen. The tip was sharp and dripping with ink the color of fleshly spilled blood. The little blade hovered before a perceived image of Yellow Diamond's face, and her magical golden eyes, with those plump lips and brows plucked perfectly without a single hair out of place.

Red's skin understood the heat of her electricity.

And more cuts opened across her own body—leaking the same color as the ink, dripping from the razor tip of that elegant pen. Though, not one drop afflicted the flawless visage of the golden goddess of sunshine and pain.

"Pearl didn't do anything wrong—"

Goshenite moved nearer and touched her shoulder. "You can be angry with her. That would be entirely reasonable."

"If I hadn't been so distraught—"

"Red."

"But did she have to take her, of all gems?"

A lily white hand covered entirely the scar across the other noble's shoulder, and glowed in its lack of color. All the while, big droplets of salt water fell upon Yellow Diamond's face. And ugly cries came into being. Even so, those deep crimson hands, with their monstrous black nails, removed the tears from the image. The salt was too lowly for such an empress.

"I know she just wanted to do what was the best for everyone."

The woman in the portrait turned her head to the side.

"I can't know how she feels, but I doubt she did it to intentionally hurt or punish me. But…"

And Red was yet again catching droplets from that golden cheek, but they were not her own. "I don't think she knew how much I loved Pearl. She was wonderful, Goshenite."

Yet again, the phantom was embracing that terrible Red creature while a sparkling stream happened elegantly from Yellow Diamond's left eye.

"I can feel your pain, but breaking someone else to pieces won't bring her back. It probably won't even make you feel better. You were meant to be here, Red. Do your work and avoid upsetting them, and you can live a long, happy life. It's the best you can hope for." A slight gasp. "You feel like you need to redeem yourself, but murdering Morganite isn't the answer. You could be hurt, and there's no guarantee you'll come back. Please let this go."

Red Beryl didn't reply exactly with words. It all floated around her head like a tub of thick tar, to where the feelings of her friend's body against her own practically faded to numbness. They were just one small thing, after all, in an ocean of considerations.

"Try to keep this all in perspective."

Red put down the picture of Yellow Diamond, who was looking at both of them yet again, and cleaned her own face.

"I'll do my best, Goshenite."

"Thank you, Red."

And either woman remained that way for a long time, until they spoke again and managed to drink down some of the tea. Though it had become cold after going untouched for so long, it still managed to soothe their sore throats. Slowly, they moved onto other topics and spoke in much the way they used to, even though both of them looked slightly like demons and the heartbreak waded in occasionally to sour the little cup of sugar.

Either way, the flowers grew into a small field of poppies. And the rain clouds slowly shuffled away.

Goshenite watched as Red shuffled too, back to the dungeon of her office.

Please don't overwork yourself.

But it was too late for that.

The phantom placed her hand over her chest as her stomach folded in on itself, which was almost a direct result of the unspoken prayers on her tongue.

The monster walked away, hearing some portion of them amongst the steady beat of her own footsteps upon the unfeeling marble of White Diamond's floor.