How long had it been now?
It wasn't so easy to keep track.
All of the letters and words, so black against the pure white light of their projection, became fuzzy and blurred together. It was like looking at the hide of a zebra compared to reading a message. Flashes of brief light occurred along the corners of her eyes, just on the edge of her peripheral vision. Each time they occurred, Red turned her head in that direction, but whichever phantom was over there, taking photographs, disappeared as quickly as it came and Red soon went back to interpreting her messages.
She reread several lines over by either misunderstanding or accident.
Her shoulders wept and her neck howled.
A note came in from Yellow Diamond.
Red,
I'd like you to come see me as soon as you can. I'll be awaiting you in my control room.
—Yellow Diamond.
And Red replied back, with many corrected typos:
My Diamond,
I'll head over immediately, and I am looking forward to seeing with you.
—Red Beryl
It was that special time through the cycle of shifts, that nearly everyone was in their private chambers. There was no one to look at Red Beryl as she left her office and hit her with a ray of their secret thoughts. Just about the only sound was her lovely heels clicking against the smooth, polished floor.
Her feet felt raw and bloody.
Though, Red continued walking through the desolate hallways until she reached the empress's control room, where the guards let her in after a moment of shock.
The bags beneath Red Beryl's eyes could easily do battle with Yellow Diamond's and perhaps even win.
Their conscious thought presented a mirror through which Red looked at herself. And with her aching hands, she adjusted her unruly hair as much as possible and went in.
There was Yellow Diamond, upon her throne, clacking out orders with flawless hands. When Red made noise with the solidary sound of her shoes, those goddess eyes came to assault her with a single look.
"I'm looking forward to 'seeing' with you as well, Red Beryl. When is the last time you took a rest?"
"Did I actually write that, My Diamond?"
"You did."
"My apologies, Madame. I haven't returned home since we last spoke. I had wanted to catch up—"
Yellow Diamond held out her hand and Red Beryl shut her mouth.
"I'm well aware what you want to do. But if you can hardly send your Diamond a coherent message of…" Her attention shifted back to the screen a moment. "A single sentence, it's time to take a break, don't you think?"
"You're absolutely right, My Diamond. My apologies."
But the queen simply continued: "If I didn't know any better, I would wonder what in the world you were thinking; that, perhaps you were intending to emulate…someone." A small grin came upon her lips. "But I'd like you to know that such a notion is absurd and you should stop."
The comparatively small noble took in a breath and held it within her lungs. "Are you…Are you still angry with me, My Diamond? I wished to apologize for my stupidity, but I wasn't certain if you had wanted to see me—"
"I'm not sure how angry I can be after almost electrocuting you. Combine that with the fact that you've been secluded in that office of yours for the equivalent of five shifts and all the extra time around that—well, as talented as I am at being angry, I'm almost beginning to feel sorry for you. Punishment by confining you inside of an object seems less severe; at least you probably wouldn't have to be conscious for that."
Red didn't speak. But she bit her bottom lip, which was dry and somewhat raw and looked up, into the sun goddess's eyes.
"Come a little closer, please. I'd like to get a better look at you."
So the aristocrat shuffled a few steps forward, until Yellow Diamond picked her up with both hands and examined her with irises filled with a poker face kind of scrutiny that could appear more as apathy. But gloved fingers of one hand touched both her beaten cheeks, and both stared deeply into one another's souls.
"It's as I suspected."
Red's whole body tightened. "My Diamond?"
"You've violated code 172-X33, which states that the bags beneath your eyes cannot exceed darkness and size in proportion to mine. It seems I have no choice but to issue a punishment."
The smaller gem laughed and relaxed her limbs, which were like boards only moments before.
"Why are you giggling, Red? This is a real thing. Now hush. I'm trying to decide your fate."
But neither of them could really keep a straight face.
"Since you seem to enjoy working so much, you're to take an entire day off to be spent in leisure. And if I find out that, in a total lack of self-control, you complete even one task, your punishment will be even more severe. Is that clear, Red Beryl?" She stated these words as she stated all of her other regal proclamations.
"Absolutely, My Diamond. I won't even think about my office, and I'll be certain not to touch any of my computers to avoid even the smallest chance that I'll end up accomplishing something."
"Very good." And Yellow Diamond set Red upon the arm rest of her chair.
"Stay a moment. I'm about to leave myself." Her hand reconnected with the device, and began entering information at a speed that suggested she never spend much time away from this place.
And Red took note of the negative space around her throne.
"My Diamond?"
"Yes?" Her eyes did not break contact with the screen.
"Where is Pearl?"
"She's currently in my chambers. Do you think me cruel enough to keep her here at all times, Red?" Then, their gazes met, but only briefly.
"Not at all, Ma'am. I'm simply accustomed to seeing her here. I forgot how late it was."
"It is easy to lose track of time when you're busy suffering."
The machine was shutting down, and in its cycle, it took in a large breath of air and gently sighed it out as all its lights dimmed and its humming trailed off into silence.
Red, too, filled her theoretical lungs. "If I could, I would take all of your work away, My Diamond. Thank you graciously for everything you do for us."
"Thank you, Red. It's because of all the time you put in that I'm finally able to leave. Of course, I'll have to come back again shortly, but perhaps I can rest on my sofa and get some reading done. Though, if I find one of my Pearls sleeping on it, she's going to be in serious trouble."
"Do you catch them often, My Diamond?"
"Not often, but sometimes. It's usually one of my house Pearls. Some of them don't seem to know any better, but it only takes being dropped from the couch once to ensure that they never sleep there again. Whenever I catch them, it's always when no one expects me back. We'll see what happens today." Yellow Diamond leaned into her seat and released a lofty sigh. For a moment, she looked at Red Beryl, with her shoulder pads, and the messy crinkles beneath her shining golden eyes—which were bordered by dark, pointed, aristocratic liner, and the exquisiteness of her gown. Despite the noble's exhaustion, it still looked fabulous.
"I'd like you to know I would have been quite upset if I had struck you with my lighting. I'm glad that I didn't. It's doubtful it would have damaged your gem, but the sensation would have been excruciating. I'm too fond of you to willfully hurt you, Red. I'm sorry things have been difficult."
"My Diamond." Red placed her hand over the stone affixed to her blood colored chest. "That's certainly not your fault. I shouldn't have angered you the way I did. I apologize for being foolish. I've resolved myself not to be upset over trivial matters."
And for a moment, the rich petals of her thick lips folded inward, and Red broke eye contact with the Queen of her heart.
"I'll never forgive myself if I fail you again, Madame. All I want is your happiness." Her fingers balled up into a fist. "And to serve you better than any gem before me."
The golden woman's brows knit. Though, she bent her mouth into a grin anyway and with a single finger, scratched her loyal little servant's head. It tussled her wild hair.
"Come along. I'm going to return to my chambers now. I suggest you take your free time and do the same."
"Yes. Thank you, My Diamond."
And both gems exited together, past the parts of floor that had been replaced due to being burnt by the electricity, as well as the very slight smell of ozone that still remained.
Though, on the way out, an image flashed into Red's mind and left just as quickly, of a Pearl bent up in a corner like a balled up piece of paper. The pain was indeed excruciating, and from her wide open mouth dripped lines of thick saliva onto the cold indifferent ground.
"Good bye, Red."
A hesitation. "Good bye, My Diamond. I hope you enjoy your reading."