Summary: Hematite and Yellow Diamond have trouble working as a team.

Notes: This chapter marks the end of arc 3.


Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Rhythmic footsteps echoed through the Sky Bridge connecting the Yellow and White towers. They were medium-paced and steady, nearing the White Diamond tower. Yellow Diamond carried herself along with a professional stride, her head held high and confident. It was morning, rays of light shining through the pillars that stood high at the sides of the bridge. The Diamond stared off into the distance, her eyes half lidded and clouded over with thought. Her job for the day spun through her head, a thousand possibilities racing through her mind. Both her fellow Diamonds needed to know she'd possibly be gone for a few days, so it was time to speak with White. She had already spoken to Blue, and White was her last stop before she headed out.

After a brisk stroll, Yellow neared White's office. Standing in front of the door, the Diamond knocked three times and entered the room without waiting to be invited in. She looked as slightly annoyed and serious as ever, her entire air formal and dignified. Gazing around the room, she was greeted with an all too familiar sight. As was the norm nowadays, White and Hematite were having tea together near the east window. How often did they do this? It seemed they were either chatting or having tea almost any time she happened to come to White's office. Yellow stood tall, arms folded behind her back.

"Hello White, Hematite. I trust you two are doing well today?" she asked simply. White gave Yellow a subtle nod, taking a sip of her drink.

For once, Hematite didn't turn to the door immediately. He took a small sip of his tea, finishing it off with a content sigh. Politely putting his cup down, he folded his hands in his lap and looked to Yellow, giving her a nod.

"Very well, actually. It looks like it's going to be a gorgeous day." He offered her a small smile, clearly relaxed from his morning with White.

Yellow glanced to the service gem, bowing her head politely.

"Indeed," she replied monotonously. White raised a brow, looking to the other Diamond.

"So what brings you here today?" she asked.

"I am here to report that I will be going off on a rather lengthy mission today, and I may not be back for a few days, if things don't go smoothly. An old quarry of mine, which was supposed to be made into a kindergarten has apparently been tampered with out in the Pink District. You remember the one, White. With the crystal spires?" she asked, already sounding annoyed.

White blinked and looked up to the side, pursing her lips. After a quick moment, she blinked in remembrance and nodded.

"Ah, yes. I remember it."

"Yes, well. There's a small handful of rebellious gems out there that have been taking out my guards. I can't spare too many gems currently, and since I needed to inspect it myself some day, I might as well destabilize two gems with one swing and take care of them while I'm out there. I can't have some nuisance faction setting up station in one of my would-be kindergartens," she grumbled, glancing off to the side. "I'll have to up the security around there after this. Hopefully I can scrounge together a unit," she muttered to herself.

Hematite's smile faded, his expression dropping to one of concern.

"That's terrible..." He bit his lip, glancing at White. "Shouldn't you take someone with you? Strength in numbers and all that? Surely some warriors would stand a better chance with you behind them, instead of on their own." He looked at her, still nibbling his lip nervously.

Yellow spared Hema a glare.

"I can take care of myself, thank you," she said rather bitterly. Pursing her lips, she rolled her eyes. "I've handled far worse on my own, hundreds of times. A group of warriors for this sort of mission would just slow me down. Besides, I'd be lying if I said I haven't been itching for a little fighting. Taking out a few rebels will be refreshing," she said simply.

White stood up and looked to Yellow with a surprisingly sly grin.

"I think Hematite has a good point, actually," she said, taking a sip of her tea. Yellow raised a brow, looking mildly offended.

"Excuse me?"

"Missions like this are unpredictable, Yellow. You may have handled many like this in the past, but you never know what could happen. It wouldn't hurt to take someone with you. In fact, you and Hematite have been making such good progress as of late, why don't you two go together?" she suggested, staring at the other Diamond with a smirk. Yellow crossed her arms in front of her, narrowing her eyes.

"Absolutely not! What if he gets hurt?" she said.

"And what if you get hurt out there on your own?" White retorted, her expression unchanging. Glancing between White and Yellow, Hematite slowly crossed his arms, a look of barely disguised curiosity on his face. It wasn't apprehension or anxiety, no. He seemed to like this idea. Yellow blinked, grumbling something cross under her breath. The monochromatic Diamond continued, her tone insistent. "Come now, Yellow. This could be a valuable learning experience for Hematite. That, and having a harvester as backup could be a valuable asset to your mission! They're very good at intimidation, as I'm sure you're aware. He could very well be the key to handling this as nonviolently as possible," White said with an odd smile. Admittedly, White's intimidation comment made Hematite's expression falter for a moment, but he quickly shrugged it off. It was true, after all.

Yellow remained quiet, eyeing the Diamond with exasperated distaste. An awkward pause filled the room. After a good moment, she sighed in defeat.

"… Are you sure about this?" she said finally, shrugging her shoulders and pursing her lips.

"I think it would be for the best. What do you think, Hema?" she asked, turning her head to look at the service gem.

Hematite's eyes widened, and he looked sharply at White, mouth slightly agape. Did he just hear her right? She'd... never called him that before. It took him a moment to recover, very nearly forgetting what she asked. He cleared his throat and stood from his seat, folding his arms behind him politely. However, when he looked at Yellow, there was a barely disguised gleam of excitement in his eyes.

"If Yellow Diamond would permit it, I think it'd be a great idea. I promise I'd be an asset to you, I can show you what I'm capable of on a mission!"

Yellow sighed heavily, placing her fingers to her mouth, grumbling. Without turning her head, she looked away, thinking.

"Mmmnn... Well... I guess you do have a point, White. It... couldn't hurt." She shrugged, crossing her arms. "Very well. I shall take Hematite on this mission with me. Maybe we can get this done faster, that way." Her eyes clouded over in thought for a moment. Her disdainful look faded, replaced by a more relaxed, almost pensive expression. She suddenly straightened up, as if White's suggestion fully sank in. Hematite was a rather skilled gem, as far as she'd been told and from what she'd seen in her little exposure to Hematite being on the job. Sure, part of her was a tiny bit nervous about being on a job alone with him, but she knew that was just her deep-seated mistrust talking. She was still working on that. But despite her apprehension, she knew that Hematite could be a valuable gem to take with her, should she need an extra pair of eyes, or someone to talk down a couple of measly rebel gems.

A look of pride suddenly befell her, and she balled one of her hands into a fist, patting it into her palm.

"I suppose if Hematite were to come with me, he could take care of the rebels while I go to inspect the kindergarten... We could cut a few days off of the search. Yes, finishing missions more efficiently! Working diligently, quickly! I like it." She smirked, furrowing her brows. White sat her teacup down on the saucer and smiled warmly.

"That's what I like to hear. Well then, looks like you have a job, Hematite. Just keep in mind, they could be a rough group. Buuut I'm sure you both can handle them! Keep your wits about you," she advised, looking to the other Diamond with a reassuring nod.

The small service gem smiled brightly, rocking on his heels a bit. Yes! A mission with Yellow? He'd finally have a chance to show off what she'd taught him, let her see how he was out in the field. Of course, he hoped he wouldn't have to fight anyone himself, lest he startle Yellow. Maybe he could convince Yellow Diamond to let him inspect the quarry while she took care of the other gems, should they even appear. Either way... he couldn't keep the flicker of excitement from his chest.

"Right! I'll do my best." He saluted proudly, head held high. "Lead the way, Yellow!"

The warp pad flashed brightly, Yellow Diamond and Hematite standing proudly on top of the teleporting device. Glancing around, Yellow couldn't help a disgusted sneer from appearing on her lips.

"I hate this place," she muttered quietly. Dark clouds were scattered overhead, overcasting the sky with a dreary gray gloom. Stepping off of the warp pad's surface, Yellow started to walk into the district. "Alright Hematite, thankfully, I know exactly where these rebels should be hiding out. We just need to get there." Placing a hand to her gem, she pulled out a diamond pad, turning it on. A holo-map projected itself above the screen and spun around. A yellow diamond insignia flicked on the map somewhere far away, information popping up next to its location once the mark was set. "Thankfully it's not too far off. We should be there within the day if we move at a steady pace."

The service gem blinked and opened his mouth to say something, but quickly thought better of it. He didn't mind this place too terribly, but he remembered that Yellow probably had more... personal reasons for disliking it. He stepped beside his superior, his arms folded neatly behind his back. For a moment he considered offering her a quicker ride to the location on the map, but held his tongue. No, that wouldn't be the wisest choice.

"I'll be right behind you. Lead the way."

Yellow didn't mind the journey, even if it did take a little while. She was used to traveling by foot. It helped her think better. She made sure not to travel too far ahead of Hematite, occasionally glancing behind her to make sure he was following. Part of her wanted to travel as she usually did, at near lightning-quick speeds, but she knew that Hematite had some sort of stamina problem, so he wouldn't be able to keep up. Instead, she kept her pace steady enough to arrive in a reasonable time, but slow enough that Hematite wouldn't run himself ragged. The mission details ran through her head again and again, keeping her thoughts occupied and away from where she was and who she was traveling with. Hopefully things wouldn't get too hairy when they arrived. Of all the Hematites that White suggested go with her, why did it have to be him? While her fears had subsided significantly, they were still very much there, deep in her core. She knew that at any given point, they could flare up again. They'd done it before, and she was mildly concerned they'd do it once more.

She'd pushed the thought away. No, it was best not to think about that now. The more time she devoted to worrying about it, the more likely it was that it'd become a problem. They were making good progress lately. There was little need to worry about anything.

Hema looked around quietly as the two of them strode along the district path. The service gem idly noted that he hadn't been this particular way before. His eyepiece gave a gentle chirp as it glowed to life, and the shorter gem began to take notes, his gaze traveling around in undisguised curiosity. The Pink District never failed to pique his interest.

The hours ticked by silently, neither of them said a word to each other. It, surprisingly, wasn't an awkward silence, no. It was thoughtful, and focused. Hematite was busy concentrating on taking notes on whatever he could, and Yellow was concentrating on what she needed to do when she arrived at the quarry. Twilight began to settle by the time they actually arrived near their destination.

The two found themselves in a much rockier area, barren of any cities or plant life. It appeared to stretch on for miles and miles ahead of the two gems, far along the horizon. With large, jagged crystals and rocks jutting out of the solid, smooth ground, sure enough, it was a quarry. The ground rose up in some places to form gently sloping, yet high hills which were crowned with the massive, colorful crystals. Giant, spire-like rocks stuck out from the ground here and there in clusters like the teeth of some slumbering, stony monster. The ground itself was smooth and plate-like, resembling the hide of some alien, reptilian creature. Smaller clusters of crystals grew from the ground, dotting the floor with sparkling stones.

The ivory-haired service gem eyed the crystals curiously. He wondered what they looked like in the sunlight, instead of this dreary, overcast light of twilight. Hematite could see distant, kindergarten-like paths and divets dug into the ground far beyond their current location. Well, he could see how this place was being prepared once for gem production. He silently wondered why it'd never gone through.

Yellow looked around, placing a palm on one of the rocks she and Hematite stopped beside.

"Hm..." Looking around, the Diamond narrowed her eyes. She didn't hear or see anything out of the ordinary. In fact, the only thing she could hear was Hema's footsteps behind her, and the low winds blowing through the quarry. "Strange... The map lead us here, but... this is such a barren, flat land that I don't see how any rebels could ambush anyone here. Especially not such a small group. This isn't an ideal place to hide..." she whispered curiously. Something wasn't adding up, and she couldn't figure it out. There was no place to hide, except maybe behind a rock or two. Were a couple traitorous gems really attacking and destabilizing full-grown Jaspers and Ambers by merely running at them over an open field? Surely not.

Hematite frowned and looked around, peering over a small rock. Nothing. Tapping his chin, the service gem pursed his lips and turned to his superior, his arms folded behind him once more.
"Perhaps the base is underground." He'd dealt with tunnel systems before, they were tricky and hard to detect, but it'd make sense, if the map lead them here. They had to be around, right?

Yellow raised a brow, stepping further into the quarry. She peered around a few of the crystals, looking for any signs of life. They both traveled deeper into the expanse of flat land.

"The ground here is pretty sturdy, but... Hematite, you're a tracking gem, see if you can find any clues," she ordered, keeping her own eyes peeled as they walked through the area.

He had to agree with her. The rock in the quarry didn't seem to have any faults, at least to the naked eye. But he figured there was no harm in doing a little sweep of the area.

The service gem nodded and flicked his hand over his eyes, summoning his hunting visor. Though the screen remained transparent, his radar HUD came online.

"Scan," he muttered quietly as the piece of gem tech warmed up. He watched his map start to update, and his eyes narrowed suspiciously. Oh, great. Between Yellow's signal, and the overpowering signature of the crystal spires that dotted the quarry, his entire map was flooded with a confusing, warbled mess of color. He could understand why this place was a prime kindergarten location, with its flat rocks and high density of gem-based mineral deposits, but it certainly wasn't good for his radar. He started walking around, checking for any signs of a base. He couldn't find anything... He kept his focus on looking behind rocks and at the ground, checking for any seams or signs of a secret base entrance. And, just in case, he gave the silent order for his visor to start singling out the gem spires' signals, one by one. He wasn't sure how that would work, as he'd never tried it before, but perhaps he could block them out, to an extent.

Yellow Diamond hopped up onto one of the more low lying, flat surfaced rocks and observed the horizon. She didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but the dark skies were making it difficult to see much. She was, admittedly, starting to get a little frustrated, but she forced herself to keep her composure.

"Hmph..." She grunted, hopping back off of the rock. Perhaps they weren't far enough into the quarry? The land here was so flat aside from a few hills and the rocks and crystals that stuck out from the ground. Surely, they couldn't be missing something so obvious as a rebel base.

Suddenly, a small pebble whizzed by both Hematite and Yellow, clacking into one of the crystals beside them. Yellow shot her attention to where she heard the noise, glaring at the pebble on the ground.

"Wha-?" Turning her head again, realizing that it had been thrown, she caught a glimpse for just a split second of something darting behind a rock.

Hematite immediately perked up. His attention locked onto the rock, and he caught a glimpse of movement as well. Frowning, he faced towards the distant boulder, starting to inch towards it.

"Yellow, keep your eyes peeled," he said quietly, steadily closing in on the rock he'd seen the movement near.

Yellow glared at the same large stone, sparing Hematite a glance. Remaining quiet, she took a defensive stance, letting the service gem move closer while she stayed behind. From behind the rock, a small scout gem hopped up, staring bravely at both Yellow and Hematite. They scowled, puffing out their chest. They were small, not much bigger than a Ruby. Their skin bore small, forest-green patches, and a round gemstone laid on top of their left hand. They glared at the Diamond, eyes burning with spite. Yellow took a single step forward, narrowing her eyes.

"You! Get down from there! That is a direct order!" she called out.

Unfazed, the bold, tiny gem opened their mouth and inhaled, quickly letting out a well-carrying, angry shout that echoed across the quarry, into the darkening night.

Wincing, Hematite covered the sides of his head, gritting his teeth. Stars, he hated loud noises like that! Glaring at the small gem, he forced his hands away from his head, electricity suddenly coursing down his arms as he flicked his hands out, his knuckledusters appearing along with two electrical whips. His steps quickened, and he closed in on the large boulder.

The small gem was quick to hop off the rock, fleeing away as fast as they could. Yellow felt her breath catch in her throat, and she looked around apprehensively. Why did they yell then run away?

... Oh no.

Eyes widening in realization, Yellow Diamond took a step forward, her hand outstretched towards Hematite as he pursued the scout.

"Hematite, get back here!" she yelled out, her voice both powerful and commanding... and laced with frustrated regret. The ground began to tremble, and the sounds of stone scraping against itself filled the air. At the same moment, multiple groups of warrior gems, each one led by a Spinel, rushed out from behind various spire-like rocks that surrounded the two gems. They all had their weapons drawn, and were quickly closing in on the two.

It was an ambush.

Oh, stars, it was a trap. He should have known when there wasn't a sign of a base!

Hematite quickly retraced his steps, now standing back to back with Yellow Diamond, his whips still fizzling wildly at his sides. He grit his teeth, growling aggressively at the approaching gems. Five, ten, fifteen, twenty... how many were there?! Yellow said there was a 'handful' of them!

Lifting his hand quickly to his face, the service gem flicked his fingers over his eyes, his hunting visor glazing over.

Whirrrrrr

Click

Yellow froze, a cold prickle of anxiety rising up in her core. That sound. That gem forsaken sound. Shaking her head, the Diamond bared her teeth and shoved the unwanted spike of apprehension down. She couldn't be bothered by that now. That was normal. That didn't mean what she thought it meant, at least not for her. These rebels, on the other hand...

The warriors started to advance, shouting out fierce war cries. Others stood back, ready to charge. Yellow growled, flicking her hand over her gem and quickly pulling out a sword. Brows furrowed, she faced the few warriors that were coming up on her side.

There was a bright flash of light behind the Diamond.

Followed by a ground-shuddering THUD.

Hematite shifted up to his half-size in an instant and took a huge, fearsome step toward the approaching warriors, startling a few of them, stopping others in their tracks. He let out a fierce, low growl, lashing his whips at the warriors that continued to charge at him. They shouted furiously and stumbled back, visibly put-off by the gem's change in appearance.

Yellow faltered, flinching rather harshly. Turning her head, she stared behind her in horror. She was stuck in her tracks. Her jaw dropped, quivering as if she were going to yell. No, be brave. Everything is okay... He's just fighting off the opposing gems. She regained her composure, swallowing nervously. Turning back to the warriors, her wide eyes had a fierce, livid fire to them. Advancing forward, she yelled out in frustration. One warrior skidded to a halt as the Diamond closed in quick, raising their weapons up in defense.

With a loud clang, their weapons made contact, the force of the leader knocking the warrior back a few good feet. Stumbling to regain their footing, the opposing gem growled and swung forward. Yellow was just quick enough to make an easy dodge.

Hematite was managing to take out a few of his opponents, though he was suddenly pushed back as one leapt up to his arm, startling him. Just before the giant gem could knock them off, the warrior brought their weapon, a rather large broadsword, down onto Hematite's arm, tearing through his suit. One of the other gems called out to their fellow warriors. Inhaling sharply through his teeth, the hunter grimaced and held his wrist close, glaring daggers into the retreating warrior leapt down. It seemed his opponents were starting to retreat. They wanted nothing to do with the harvester. All of them made a hasty escape from Hematite's view... all aside from two archers. Standing atop a stony spire, three gems stood tall and fierce, one of them pointing a nasty-looking spear Hematite's way. The other two had their bows drawn, the tips of the projectiles glowing with a strange, fizzling aura. The spear-wielding gem bared her teeth, her voice cutting through the dense air

"FIRE!"

While Hema was distracted, the archers managed to charge up two potent shots. Before he could turn his attention to them, they loosed the arrows, sending them whizzing through the air.. One of the energy arrows stuck heavily into Hema's shoulder while the other hit him in the side, earning a pained yowl. A stunning energy coursed through him, locking his body into place. His eyes widened, his hair standing on end. His mind screamed at his body to move, but all he could do was stare blankly in front of him in horror as a worrying number of warriors closed in on his legs.

He was stuck.

Growling, Yellow swung her sword around, swiping right through her opponent. Exploding into a cloud of smoke, the gemstone fell to the ground and was quickly retrieved by the Diamond. With a quick blip, she bubbled the gem away and sent it off. The other group warriors that was previously advancing on her backed up, snarling. She glared daggers into them, holding up her sword with a mercilessly cold stare. Her arm became alight with lightning, and after a few seconds, she swept her sword to the side, sending out a wave of electricity in their direction. Startled, the group of warriors went to run, but weren't quite fast enough. The lightning struck all of them in a neat row, surging through their bodies and destabilizing them quickly. Yellow darted around in a deft, swift movement and collected up the destabilized gems, sending them away. As she turned to the next group closing in on her, she was halted in her tracks by Hematite's harrowing, painful yowl.

Yellow's head turned sharply, and she quickly spotted the commotion behind her. A few of the opposing gems were upon Hematite, and from the looks of it, he was in a bit of a bind, quite literally. Sighing, Yellow ran towards them, relighting her arm with flowing electricity. It raced down her arm and over her sword, setting the blade alight with a brilliant display of sparks.

The archers were so focused on the huge gem before them, they failed to notice the other gem quickly moving towards them. With a loud grunt, Yellow chucked her sword in a sharp, spinning motion, sending them flying towards her targets. The weapon suddenly split into two smaller swords, both shooting towards one of the archers. One warrior gem turned their head, but it was already too late to react. The swords met their targets with an abrupt force, sticking into both of them and destabilizing them easily. The remaining warrior leapt down the rock, retreating away from the furious Diamond.

The moment the two archers were poofed, the arrows vanished into a cloud of sparks, releasing their bind on the giant gem. Hematite gasped sharply as the stunning energy dissipated, and he looked over his shoulder at Yellow, giving her a nod of thanks. However, it was slightly hard to tell with his hunting visor covering his eyes. He quickly looked down and kicked the rebels away before they could get much further along his suit. It didn't take much effort to destabilize the gems that'd foolishly gotten so close.

As Hematite turned, Yellow's expression became unreadable. She broke a sweat, brow twitching. With how dark it was, she could barely see anything but his glowing visor. In all honesty, she wished she hadn't seen that. Taking a sharp breath suddenly, she pulled out another sword from her gem, quickly coming back to her senses again. How many of these rebels were there?! She figured she could have expected more than just a 'few', but they'd already seen a good twenty or thirty gems!

Turning his attention back to the retreating warriors, Hematite lashed out his whips again, making a go for them. He couldn't locate the gems that had retreated away from him just a moment ago, and that worried him. He could barely keep his eyes on his radar, as it was, he didn't need missing gems complicating matters. The giant gem chased after what retreating rebels he could see, taking out quite a few of them in his wake.

From behind her, Yellow Diamond heard a sharp cry, and whipped around to notice another warrior quickly running up to her. Carelessly, they swung their weapon down. However, Yellow was still partially nerve racked by Hematite, so her reaction time was slower than normal. She held up her blade in time to block the weapon, but let out a cry of pain as it hit the sword with such force that it shattered her sword completely. The warrior's weapon continued down, slamming into the ground inches in front of the Diamond. She grunted, quickly kicking the warrior in the abdomen, knocking them away. More warriors were closing in on her, and quickly.

Unfortunately for Yellow, Hema was a little preoccupied. The giant gem latched onto two of the warriors with his whips, slamming them into the ground at his sides, poofing them instantly. In one smooth movement, he quickly crouched down, tapped both of the gems, bubbling them, and stood back up, storing them both in his gem with a quick flash. The final, ax-wielding warrior of the group he'd been chasing, a rather large, mean looking Jasper, bared her teeth at the giant gem. She stepped forward, letting out a fierce cry as she charged at him. Hematite took a step back, eyes wide, his visor tracking the rebel's every move.

But he glanced up and over her, his hunting visor also catching sight of something else.

More warriors were approaching from much further off, up the gentle slopes to the west. These gems had backup. Hematite's breathing hitched, and he snarled down at the Jasper as she swung at his legs. Looking back, the giant gem called out to Yellow.

"Yellow Diamond, fall back to me! We've got more gems incoming!"

Turning, he reeled his foot back before delivering a hard hit to the Jasper, sending them flying into one of the crystals that jutted from the ground. The impact destabilized her instantly.

Yellow shuddered slightly, groaning in frustration. She fled from the warrior she was fighting, running towards Hematite. If this warrior was intelligent, they wouldn't follow her. But, as Yellow had come to find in her years, a rebel's strong suit wasn't usually smarts. They followed quickly behind her, growling and readying their weapon. Yellow's fists lit up with sparks again, her back to Hematite's foot as soon as she made her way over to him. She was a little too close to him for comfort, but maybe if she kept her back to him, she'd be able to handle the close proximity.

"Keep at it! We'll wear them out sooner or later!" she called up, ducking as the warrior swiped their weapon towards her head. With a few lightning-fast electrified punches, she stunned the warrior long enough to summon another weapon and poof them with a powerful swipe.

Glancing back at Yellow, Hematite was glad to see she was closer by. He suddenly realized that she couldn't see exactly how many gems were approaching on the horizon. But from his height, he certainly could.

"I'm not sure how many more there are, but you might want to brace yourself! There's at least twenty or so more! More could be inbound!" He turned around to her, taking a step away to face her properly since he'd taken care of the warriors on his side. Yellow turned to look at him, her brows furrowed furiously. Her gaze was caught by a few gems that skirted behind Hematite to try and attack him. Hema opened his mouth to speak, but then, before he could let her know what he'd seen... a bright flash of light appeared behind a stone spire that laid not two hundred feet behind her. Hematite felt his body go rigid as a new gem signature appeared on his radar. He slowly looked up from Yellow, and was met with the horrifying sight of a massive, glowing figure taking shape.

Time seemed to slow down as the huge, monstrous fusion took form, quickly rising to, and then passing Hematite's height. The hunter stared in horror, unable to move from where he stood. The fusion finally stopped forming and grinned down at the two gems before it, its multiple glowing eyes narrowing ominously. It bore multiple long, scraggly ponytails and multiple pairs of beastly, powerful arms. A total of five gemstones laid on its body; three laid on its forehead, and two were somewhere near its stomach.

Yellow Diamond didn't catch the light. In fact, she was too busy fending off a few of the warriors to even notice the massive amalgamation formed behind them, or the fact that Hema had frozen. With another heavy swing, a warrior slammed their ax down inches beside the Diamond. The more warriors appeared, the more frustrated she became. The longer she spent so close to Hematite, the more nervous she grew. Both were starting to effect her reaction times. She was starting to cut it far too close. Growling, the Diamond lunged forward to deliver a direct punch to to the Spinel, but was caught way off guard when the warrior grabbed her fist and stopped her. Eyes widening fiercely, she was far too taken aback to react immediately, and the warrior slammed her down into the ground violently. Yellow groaned, gasping and rolling out of the way just in time to avoid the warrior's ax which chipped the solid stone ground where she lay seconds ago.

More warriors started to close in, some of them not even having their weapons drawn. Yellow got to her feet quickly and held up her fists, sparks fizzling around her entire body. From the looks of it, there were three huge warriors. Two of them were Spinels, one was an Amber. One of them smirked and swung their weapon towards her, but she dodged it. Their smile grew wider. She fell for it. From behind her, as she had darted back, she failed to notice one of the warriors had skirted out of sight and delivered a massive kick to her back, sending her flying forward.

Yellow was being tossed around, taking blow after blow from the warriors. She'd gotten a few small hits in every now and then, but it was very apparent that they were wearing her down and catching her repeatedly off guard. She stood up fiercely, growling at the warriors.

Hematite took a huge step back, away from the fusion, and the warriors fighting Yellow in front of him. No more than a few moments had passed since the fusion formed, and yet time still seemed slowed for him. He looked down, eyes widening as he noticed that the warriors were getting the upper hand on his superior. His eyes flicked back up to the fusion, and the giant gem's mouth fell agape.

The monstrous gem was summoning their weapon, holding an enormous pole out above them. At the end of the handle, a massive spiked, metal ball sparked into existence, alight with a glowing aura.

That was a mace to put Blue's to shame.

The fusion was locked onto their target, their glowing eyes focused onto Yellow's vulnerable form. Hematite felt his breathing stop as he noticed where the fusion was looking.

Yellow Diamond was wide open for a killing blow.

No, no no no.

Everything is happening too fast, th-think Hematite, think!

Think of a plan, figure out-

No.

No, there's no time for thinking.

ACT!

There was a bright flash of light, and the already huge gem was suddenly left standing at his full harvester height. To the warriors below, Hematite quickly crouched down and lashed out his hand with unnatural speed, snatching Yellow up off the ground, out of harm's way of the approaching warriors, and the fusion's attack. He brought her close to his face and backed up, both his hands cupped around her, his eyes wide as he stared at the fusion.

H!

The monstrous gem's weapon struck the ground where Yellow had been not two seconds ago with a fearsome amount of force, leaving an impressive crater in the ground. A few pitiful clouds of smoke drifted out from under the weapon.

But Yellow wasn't out of danger. Hematite noticed that things around him still felt as if they were in slow motion. The fusion, now furious, slowly raised its eyes up to glare at him, starting to draw back its weapon out of the ground.

Without warning, before she could even comprehend what was going on, Yellow found herself clutched in Hematite's hands. She gasped sharply, eyes widening. Wait, what's going on?! Quickly, she was brought up to his face, and she was left staring into his hunting visor, the world around her going quiet.

Oh stars, no...

Hematite turned his attention to the Diamond in his hands and grimaced, bracing himself.

"Sorry about this," he whispered.

Her breathing stopped. The fear came flooding back within those few seconds. She was so petrified, she wasn't able to understand what he had said. It was uncertain if she even really heard him. What was this about?! What was he doing?!

Within an instant, Hematite lifted Yellow Diamond over his face. He carefully held her shirt between his fingers, his mouth opening up below her.

Yellow emitted a small whimper as gravity shifted below her. No, NO...This can't be happening! Why?! Staring down into the huge gem's mouth, she felt her form go cold, and every one of her nightmares came flooding back to her. Her voice failed her, her body couldn't move, and in that moment, she felt as though nothing, not even her own strength or the Diamond Authority could help her. She felt tiny, helpless, vulnerable.

She felt weak.

For a moment, time stood still for both of them.

And then, without a word, he dropped her.

"NO, WAIT!" she cried out, grasping at the air feebly, landing onto his tongue. Small sparks fizzled around her body, the Diamond's eyes wide with terror. Before she could make any move to escape, Hematite's teeth clacked together, her world becoming dark, aside from the small bit of illumination coming from her electricity. Shivering, she was overcome with sudden panic.

This wasn't real! This was just another one of her horrible nightmares!

No.

This was real.

This was far too real.

The giant gem tilted his head back slightly the moment he felt the tiny gem make contact with his tongue, and he closed his teeth the moment he was sure Yellow was behind them, making sure not to bite her.

The second his superior was 'safe', he turned to his approaching opponent, who now stood about equal height with him, and summoned his weapons, taking a defensive stance. The huge fusion roared viciously, swinging its weapon at the harvester.

The two were quickly locked in a battle that played out much like Hematite's spars with Blue, but this time, the stakes were far higher than glory or a friendly match. No, this time... he had someone he needed to protect. All of Hematite's focus was trained on the fusion ahead of him. He didn't even notice that Yellow was shaking. The giant gem managed to get a few good hits in, and even knocked the gem's mace away, but it quickly started to draw another one. Hematite took the opportunity and lashed out his whips, latching onto the fusion's weapon handle. Expression going cold, Hematite focused all his energy into his arms, sending a frightening surge of electricity through the whips, into the fusion's form, causing it to screech in pain. It quickly let go of the handle and stumbled back, its body twitching involuntarily.

Smirking, Hematite turned his attention to the warriors that were busy attacking his legs, and he kicked a few of them aside, striking the others with the pole he managed to yank from the fusion. Smirking, he stepped back, giving the softest of chuckles.

This was working!

She didn't understand. What had she done wrong? Was he still angry with her? She thought everything was starting to get better. Had she made him upset again? A thousand thoughts flooded Yellow's mind, baring down on her with the weight of a cold, jet-black sea. All of the memories from the incident such a long time ago, as well as all of her nightmares coursed through her body, as if forcing her to relive everything over again at the same time. Tears started to sting the corners of her eyes, her desperation rising.

Then he chuckled. The sound reverberated through Yellow's very core, and echoed through her mind, warping and twisting into that nightmarish form's voice.

Yellow shrieked with horror, pulling her arms and legs close to her quickly, covering up her gem. The move was involuntary, instinctual, and completely in vain. And she knew it.

The shriek didn't go unnoticed. Hema's eyes went wide as saucers, and he glanced down toward his mouth, a pained grimace on his face.

Yellow, hold on, it's alright! Stay strong a little longer!

Hematite managed to poof a few more of the warriors and swept his hands down to bubble and collect them quickly, storing them in his gem. He looked around to check the horizon and battlefield. It looked like there were only three warriors left, and the fusion. Putting his fists up, the giant gem backed up a few paces, now facing the furious, gigantic amalgamation. Its glowing eyes glared daggers through the gem, and he narrowed his eyes at it, brows furrowed.

"No, no no no no..." she whimpered quietly, staring at the barely illuminated fangs in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she sharply sat up. She had to do something. She boldly moved forward, pressing her hands against the roof of his mouth and trying to force it open. "LET ME OUT OF HERE! PLEASE!" she shouted, still shaking.

A pained expression washed over Hematite's face, and his stance faltered. The service gem could feel Yellow trying to force his teeth open, but he kept them shut, despite her pleas. He couldn't let her out, she'd be killed! At least this way if he was poofed, or worse, she'd still have a chance to get away! The giant gem steeled himself and launched forward, going in for a direct hit on the fusion.

Get in close quickly, disorient them!

The hunter closed in fast, landing a few quick, electrified jabs to the fusion. They were able to block him, for the most part, but it seemed the gems were slowly desynchronizing. The fusion was starting to look a bit unstable.

It wasn't working.

It wasn't.

Working.

Her panic overtook her, tears flowing down her cheeks. She wasn't quite strong enough to pry his mouth open, and he wasn't letting her out. He was going to kill her. Whimpering, she gave up and stumbled back, frantically looking around her. This was it. This was the end. She put her arms over her head and shut her eyes tight. She couldn't believe this. After everything she thought she'd escaped, here she was. She couldn't bare to think of it. This couldn't be how it ended.

No. It wasn't going to be.

She slowly lifted her head, brows furrowing. This wasn't her nightmare. This was real.

And so were her powers. So were her weapons . Like hell she was going down like this!

Swiftly, the Diamond placed her hand to her gem and summoned her sword with a bright light. She bared her teeth, looking down at the service gem's tongue. She still had a chance. With a sharp force, she struck her sword down, piercing into the surface below her.

Hema's eyes shot open, his previously vicious glare snapping into a look of pure shock and agony. Giving a half angry, half pained shriek, the giant gem stumbled backwards from the fusion and dropped to the ground, on his knees. In the same instant, he spat Yellow onto the ground, her sword thankfully going with her. A clawed hand made its way up to his face, and the giant gem whimpered quietly, closing his mouth and inhaling deeply through his nose, trying not to let the pain get to him too badly.

Damn his sensitive mouth.

The fusion, which had stumbled back at this point, stopped in its tracks a little distance away.

Yellow stumbled onto the ground, quickly regaining her footing. Still holding her sword, she held out her arms in an appalled, distressed stance. Her eyes wide, face blank, she stared at the enormous fusion standing before them. She blinked, frozen, saliva dripping off of her. As the fusion snarled down at the two, Yellow slowly looked to the side. She took note of the huge crater that laid in the ground nearby. A few scattered shards laid in the crater where Yellow had been standing not a minute ago, completely obliterated by the fusion's mace.

Wait... that's where I was-

... Oops.

She started to put the pieces together, and while she was both petrified and furious... she suddenly realized what Hematite had done.

The amalgamation regained its stability just long enough to summon another huge weapon, and was now charging right for Hematite and Yellow Diamond, ready to deliver a killing blow.

Hematite wasn't moving from his crouched position. His head was still hung, hand over his mouth. With his hunting visor on, it was impossible to see the rest of his face.

A sharp stab of regret shot through Yellow's core, and she stared up in horror at the fusion. Suddenly, Hematite's mouth didn't seem so bad. Looking back up at the service gem, she shuddered, still visibly shaken.

"Hematite! Nooow would be a good time to do something!" she yelled out, taking a few steps off to the side. There was no way if she tried that she could do anything to that... thing. She'd only take on a gem like that with White and Blue! What if Hematite couldn't fight it!? What if-

The fusion leapt into the air, bringing its mace down over Hematite's form.

G!

A shuddering shock wave shot through the ground below Hematite's form, knocking Yellow and the remaining three warriors away from him. The shock destabilized the smallest of the three upon impact. Hema's hand was up, clutching the end of the mace mere inches away from his head. Within an instant, the giant gem snapped his head up, teeth bared in fury, a vicious growl rumbling in his chest.

The growl grew in volume until it suddenly erupted into a roar.

Shooting upwards, Hematite snatched the mace away from the confused fusion, swinging it back and landing a massive CRACK to the side of the amalgamation's head, knocking it back. It destabilized slightly. Not wasting a moment, the giant harvester clutched the mace tightly in his hands, letting out another fierce roar as he shot forward, landing one final killing blow to the fusion's head.

A huge cloud of multicolored smoke exploded around the giant gem, screening him from view entirely.

Yellow held her sword tightly, taking a few slow steps back, watching Hematite completely destroy the fusion. It was as incredible as it was nerve-wracking. The Diamond stayed quiet, her eyes locked on the cloud of multicolored dust. She slowly lifted her sword into a defensive position as the giant gem steadily rose up from the ground, his back turned to her.

A stiff breeze blew through the quarry, carrying the sparkling cloud away. The mace in Hematite's hands fizzled out of existence. There, left in a huge crater, were the shattered remains of the five fusion gems.

Hematite's hunting visor fell from his eyes, fizzing away as it hit the ground.

The giant gem turned, looking across the way at Yellow, who was some distance from him. His whole body was shaking. With a soft, worrying crackle, the edges of his form glitched and fizzled irregularly.

His brows furrowed, expression unreadable. All one could see was a faint, vague expression of... disappointment.

P O F F!

Everything fell quiet. The Diamond stood still, staring at the quickly-dissipating cloud of gray dust. Eyes widening, she snapped her attention to the other two warriors. Without skipping a beat, she lit herself up with lightning, baring her teeth harshly. Advancing forward, the warriors braced themselves, but it wasn't enough. She barreled into one, body alight with lightning, stunning them. The force of her charging impact alone was enough to do a number on the warrior, and before they could recover, she grabbed onto their neck, squeezing tightly until they exploded into a cloud of smoke. She made short work of their gem, a soft 'crick' filling the air. Her head slowly lifted, yellow eyes glaring at the final warrior.

Something shook in them, and they faltered, unable to move. Huge mistake.

With a quick flick of her sword, she flung the blade forward. The warrior tried to turn and run, but was struck down, the sword stabbing straight through them. They, too, burst into smoke. Yellow stood up straight and sighed, walking over to the final gem. She placed her heel over it, and, with little effort, snapped it in two clean pieces.

She made her way around the area, bubbling all the gems that she could find. Thankfully, it seemed like they had successfully taken out all the rebels. Without the ones in Hema's pocket dimension or the ones Yellow had sent away already herself... the total tallied up to 34 gems. The mission was a success.

Well... mostly.

She looked back, spotting one last gem sat on the ground, far off. Gray, round, and smooth, it glinted pitifully in the low light. Yellow walked over towards it, kneeling down. She gazed blankly, coldly staring at its reflective surface.

He could have killed me.

She narrowed her eyes.

But he didn't. The rebels would have killed me, and tried rather hard to. If he wanted me dead... I would be.

Slowly, she reached down and picked up the gem, holding it within her hand. She had every ability to crush it for what he did. And, some tiny part of her, deep within her core wanted to. It wanted so badly to crack this dangerous gem in half and spin some tale about how the mission went sour, and Hematite didn't survive. Despite her hatred of lying, despite how unjust that was... that tiny, paranoid part of her was willing to do it, to keep everyone safe, to prevent something like today's mission from ever happening again, to get rid of this threat.

Yellow scowled at herself in disdain and inhaled deeply through her nose, quickly closing her eyes. She forced that small part of herself down, gripping Hematite's gem firmly in her palm. With just a quick motion, she could break him.

But she didn't. And she wasn't going to. No, she understood. As hard as it was at first to believe, she knew why he did what he did. Albeit, it probably wasn't the best way to go about it, he didn't have much more of an option at the time. And, well... It worked.

She was still alive, and he was intact. Sure, this was a tad worrying for Hematite's stability... but she'd have to worry about that later. Yellow frowned almost guiltily, her expression falling. She owed White an apology for this incident.

Turning to walk out of the quarry, Yellow carried Hematite's gemstone in her hand, careful not to harm it. It was going to be an interesting trip home.

"Ugh..."

e

Eyes shooting open, Hematite sat up, looking around him. All around the gem's form were impossibly tall blades of grass. The sky above was dark, cloudy, and starless. Slowly, the service gem stood up, crossing his arms and clutching the fabric in his clawed fingers.

Was this... his pocket dimension?

Had he destabilized?

Anxiously, Hematite looked around. He felt like he was being watched. Stepping forward, he bit his lip, trying to figure out where he was. It certainly... resembled his pocket dimension, but everything was so big... Was this another nightmare?

The service gem attempted to reform, but found himself unable to. He was either trapped in a hand or a bubble... and honestly, he was unsure which was worse, given the situation. Trembling, the tiny gem made his slow way through the tall grass towering over him, in the direction he hoped the tower was.

It took Hematite what felt like hours to finally reach the spire. Looking up at the steps, he frowned, clutching at his sleeves. Why was he so small? He'd never come here like this before...

Maybe he'd overworked himself to the point of being stuck like this. He shuddered at the thought, trying to push it aside. Clambering up the steps, Hematite turned and sat down on the edge of the stone, looking up at the grassy field that lay before him. His lids felt heavy, and his core was weighed down with exhaustion. For a while, he merely sat there, staring up at the starless sky.

His eyes widened. Glancing over at a patch of grass, Hematite could have sworn he saw something... something dark. He drew his knees to his chest, scooting back to the face of the next step. His eyes never left the grass he saw move.

But, to both his relief and his displeasure, nothing showed up.

He could have sworn that, whatever it was... it'd been grinning at him. He knew he'd seen teeth. Hematite swallowed quietly, a shiver running up his back. He didn't want to think about anyone else being in here with him.

Looking up at the sky, Hematite frowned sadly, clutching his knees close. The mission raced through his mind, playing through it relentlessly. Yellow's strange behavior, the way she seemed so unfocused, how utterly useless he was up until the very end... all of it hit him in a wave. Maybe Yellow would have been better off if he hadn't come with her. She wouldn't have been distracted, and that gem probably wouldn't have fused. For all he knew, they only fused to take him out because he was a bigger threat than she was, literally.

You just got in the way.

You should have stayed with White at the tower.

Now you're another step closer to-

Stop it.

Sighing heavily, Hematite buried his face in his knees. His mussed, fluffy hair laid over his forearms in messy tufts that he didn't bother fixing. He forced the inner voice in his head to quiet, leaving him in tense silence. How many gems were left when I destabilized...? Two, three? She should be able to handle them, right?

I hope she's okay.

It took two hours of running to get back to her towers. Without Hematite's stamina to worry about, her trip to the front of the district only took a fraction of the time it did before. After all, Yellow's speed was nothing to sneeze at.

She was waiting in her room, Hematite's gemstone placed delicately on a soft cushion that she'd taken from White's room some time ago. She paced back and forth, jotting down a report in her diamond pad as she walked. Another hour passed. Hematite wasn't back yet. Sighing, she made her way over to her desk and sat down, entwining her fingers. Half lidded eyes stared down at the gem, watching it carefully.

He'll be back soon. He has to be...

She glanced away, silent. He'd pushed himself so far for the sake of keeping her safe, and she let her fear get the better of her. Even on the way back to the tower, that small part of her was tempted to do something harmful to his gemstone. Sure, the thought was fleeting and borderline invasive, but it was still there. For the time being, it had subsided. Every minute that ticked by made it lessen more and more. Instead of the temptation to get rid of the gem, a dull, but pervasive sense of self-loathing rose up in the Diamond. Why did she still feel this way? She hated this fear, this paranoia. It was degrading, and caused far more problems than there needed to be. She didn't want to see him as a threat, or to even have the temptation to shatter him, no matter how small. There was no reason for it, not right now. Hematite had a very open, very clear opportunity to kill her today, but he didn't.

He saved her.

Back in his pocket dimension, Hematite could tell that he was free to reform now, whenever he wanted. But something was holding him back. Sure, he hadn't been shattered, that much was clear. But Yellow couldn't have been happy about the stunt he pulled. The tiny gem buried his face in his knees. He didn't want to face her, and he sure as hell didn't want to reform to possibly find himself in some rebel base.

Still... he couldn't stay here forever. He didn't want to.

Something didn't feel right, here.

After another 'hour' or so, Hematite finally lifted his head, his expression one of pure dread.

Well, better not keep whoever had his gem waiting any longer.

The gem on the small cushion began to glow, lifting just slightly into the air. Hematite's projection began to shine as it spread out from the gemstone and cycled through his various forms. But something changed, and he suddenly got smaller. And smaller.

With a soft 'thunk', Hematite's tiny form landed on Yellow's desk, next to the cushion his gemstone had been resting on. He inhaled sharply through his teeth, rubbing his head. That reformation had hurt. He supposed it was from pushing himself so far past his limits...

It seemed his form hadn't changed much, if anything, the only difference was that the diamond insignia was gone from his back. That, and, there was something different about his overall appearance. It was nearly impossible to tell with how tiny he was, though.

Yellow's eyes widened, watching the tiny gem reform. That wasn't quite what she'd expected. Without a word, she stared down at him. From the angle Hematite was at, he couldn't see her mouth behind her folded hands. It was hard to tell what she was thinking, really. She took a slow, steady breath through her nose.

"Hematite." The word came out cold, monotonous. Her face fell neutral.

Hema's eyes shot open, and he looked up, tensing at the sight of the huge Diamond before him.

No.

No, he was in her office again.

Not like this.

Anything but this.

The tiny service gem found himself unable to speak. He began to tremble, memories of that dreaded night long past flashing through his mind.

Yellow sat still for a moment. She noticed his shivering, but she refrained from changing expression. Then she moved her hands from her face, letting one drop beside her. The other, however, slowly reached down for him.

He was right.

She was angry.

She probably wanted to teach him another 'lesson.'

A soft whimper escaped the tiny gem as he looked up at Yellow Diamond's hand. He threw his arms up over his head, knees pulling close to his chest.

"I-I'm sorry, I won't do it again, I wasn't thinking! I didn't know what to do!"

As her hand got closer, she uncurled her fingers, casting a dark shadow over his small frame. But, before he could do or say anything else, she gently rested her fingertips on his head and back. It was a little awkward for her, but she could tell he was scared out of his wits. Maybe this would help? Slowly, she lifted her hand slightly, removing most of her fingers. All except one. She ran it softly over his hair, as if 'petting' him. A moment of silence filled the air.

"I know why you did... what you did, Hematite," she said softly. Yellow looked away, biting the inside of her cheek.

Hematite's trembling quelled, and he opened one eye, glancing up without moving his head. He swallowed, another soft, distressed sound escaping him before he realized she wasn't trying to pick him up.

He blinked as he realized Yellow was running her finger over his hair. A soft exhale of disbelief escaped the tiny gem as he slowly moved his arms, venturing to look up at the Diamond.

Yellow glanced back down, brows raised slightly.

"Thank you for, um... saving me. And sorry about your tongue..." she said awkwardly, shrugging.

The tiny gem stared in shock at his superior, but finally moved his hands away from his head completely, wrapping his arms around his legs. He rested his chin behind his knees, eyes drifting shut just slightly at the light contact to his hair.

"... I was just doing my job. And... don't worry about it." He tilted his chin up for a moment, stuck out his tongue as if checking it for damage, and then returned to leaning his chin behind his knees. "No harm done." Hema went silent for a moment. "... I'm sorry if I-" He paused. He didn't want to use the word 'scared'. Not with her. "-brought back unpleasant memories."

Yellow lifted her hand away finally, placing it on the table.

"Don't worry about it. You did well." She got quiet, glancing away. "You must be very tired. You should be getting back to White... You'll both be happy to know the mission was successful. After you retreated back into your gem, I took care of the remainder of the rebels." She placed her other hand up on the desk, resting it over the other. She looked professional yet again, sitting up straight. She still looked like a mess, though, despite her professional air. "There were only two, but I finished bubbling the rest of the gems that I'd found. Inspecting the area can wait, for now. What we did should have cleared out the problem."

Nodding, the service gem began to stand up, trying to take his own professional stance. He folded his arms behind him, looking up at her respectfully.

"Thank you, Yellow. I'm glad I could... be of some use." His expression softened. "You should get some rest yourself." He sighed quietly, rubbing one of his eyes. "We've both earned it, honestly." The tiny gem stifled a yawn. He cleared his throat and stood at attention once more. "Sorry. If you'll allow it, I should be getting back to White."

Yellow looked at the door, then back down at Hematite. There was a pause.

"You know, you're... rather small, right now. It's probably a very long walk to White's tower... especially at your current size," she said softly, placing her palms together.

Hematite's brows raised, his shoulders tensing subtly. Those words were eerily familiar.

No, he wasn't going to fall for that trap this time.

The tiny gem gave a very forced smile and cleared his throat.

"Yes, it is. But I can make it just fine, I've done it plenty of times before," he said as respectfully as he could.

Once again, Yellow glanced away.

"Well... I should report to White how the mission went. Since I'll be headed that way too, maybe I could..." She looked back at the tiny gem awkwardly. "Carry you?"

The tiny gem blinked slowly. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then closed it.

Repeat. The second time he closed his mouth, he arched a brow, as if confused. Had he heard her right?

"Oh... well." Hematite looked around, wondering if this was all some elaborate prank. Or... was she being serious? The service gem looked up at his superior, eyes wide. But instead of fearful, his expression was more... curious. And then he smiled, getting an idea. "Well, that would be far more efficient, wouldn't it? Get us both there in a more timely manner... sounds good to me!" He beamed up at her, hoping that that way of accepting would be less awkward for her.

She twitched at his words, eyes widening in surprise. For a moment, there was a bright gleam in her eye. She smirked gradually, hardly masking what pride was welling up within her. However, she quickly stifled it and held out her palm to the smaller gem, her expression neutral once more. She still had to look professional, after all.

He'd caaaught that.~

Hematite gave the quietest chuckle before he stepped onto Yellow's palm, without even a hint of hesitation. He looked at his superior's gloved hand before he carefully sat down, crossing his legs. Smiling, the tiny gem folded his hands near his ankles, fully settled. He gazed up at Yellow Diamond, eyes bright.

"Let's deliver that report."

Yellow stared down curiously at the tiny gem, still barely masking the gleam in her gaze. Standing from her desk, she carefully lifted Hematite up, heading for the door.

"Let's."