"Fishing?" Connie asked in disbelief.
"Yeah! Why not?" Greg encouraged. "The Pizzas could probably use some of 'em for their signature pizza, right?" Greg turned to look at Kofi and his two daughters, who smiled politely, while not enthusiastically. "C'mon, guys," Greg pleaded, looking around. "We've only got so much food left, y'know. We gotta start taking what we can get." Connie looked over the fish Greg had grabbed.
"What's with these holes?" Connie asked. "It might be diseased." Thinking it over, she then set down the fish, wiping her hands on her shorts.
"Could be. I dunno, though, there's some weird predatory fish out there," Greg replied, before dismissing it and getting back on topic. "Seriously, guys! Wouldn't you rather be able to get food right here and not have to walk to the farm for 4 hours?"
"Where would we even get the fishing stuff, though?" Smiley asked. "We're not gonna search all these buildings and houses just for a tackle box or somethin'."
"Why can't we?" Greg persisted.
"'Cuz there's, like, 40 goddamn houses in this city! And most of 'em are extremely unsafe to go treasure huntin' in!"
"I know where we might find fishing supplies," Ronaldo stated, reluctantly. Everyone turned to him. "But you're not going to like it, sir." Greg looked at him for a bit, trying to understand what he meant. It didn't take long before his heart sank and his brows lowered.
"You don't mean…" Greg began, but Ronaldo nodded, refusing to make eye contact. Greg put his hand on his forehead, sliding it down his face stressfully. "And you're sure there's no other place?"
"I am not certain about the rest of the city, sir. But I am certain about the lighthouse. I used to fish there, sir." Greg growled, before taking in a deep breath and exhaling.
"Alright. Everybody rally up, we're gonna do a bit of hiking." Greg, annoyed, began walking towards Thayer Street, where the hill to the lighthouse began. Connie, Smiley, and Ronaldo followed closely behind. Bill walked up to Kofi in the crowd, nudging him with his elbow.
"To be honest," Bill said, "I'm kinda glad we're doing this. That one lady was kinda hot."
"The purple one?" Kofi responded. Bill shook his head.
"No no, the one with the spear. What do you think my chances are?"
"I don't know. I'm not one who's attracted to Invaders," Kofi replied, bluntly, before walking ahead a bit. Bill looked at him, irritated.
Ruby sat at her study, where she typically went after an argument. They were becoming concerningly frequent, she had realized. She never liked getting angry, and she knew that it helped nobody, but it was hardly her fault that she was getting pissed off. She clenched her fist. It couldn't be her fault. She picked up her tools and started taking apart the shell to one of the Peridot ship's energy cores. She needs to work to cool down. However, her concentration was swiftly broken once the door opened behind her, and Sapphire entered the room.
"Ruby," Sapphire said, before quickly correcting herself, "I mean, Commander."
"What is it?" Ruby inquired, her eyes still focused on the desk.
"There are some Earth fish washing up on the shore with holes in them. Yet, they still have all of their innards, so it wouldn't make sense for it to be a predator."
"And this concerns me because…?"
"Well, what if it's some sign of an attack?"
"What does your vision say?" Sapphire paused for a moment, trying to concentrate. However, she found it surprisingly difficult. Whenever she tried to think about the future, her mind became cluttered with worries and fears and terrible thoughts. It was too loud.
"Static," she said, "I can't focus." Ruby just nodded, unfazed.
"It's most likely a result of the planet's destruction, Sapphire. Don't worry about it."
"My job is to worry, Ruby," Sapphire said, slipping up again. "Commander," she corrected, looking down in shame. Ruby shook her head a bit. Silence hung in the air, stagnant and awkward. "Are you angry at me?"
"No," Ruby stated. Sapphire was surprised.
"You're not?"
"I don't get mad at you. Or Pearl. Not even the Runt. I just get disappointed and…" She couldn't find the words to finish her sentence.
"So you're disappointed in me?"
"If you are to put it bluntly, I guess you could say that." More silence.
"Do you even like me?" Ruby turned around, annoyed, meeting Sapphire's gaze directly.
"Why are you asking me these questions, Sapphire?"
"Because I've been wondering."
"About?"
"About that day. About why you saved me. You barely even knew me."
"I knew enough about you to recognize you were important. And that it was silly for you to be executed."
"Is that why you did it? Because it wasn't fair? Because I was important?"
"What do you think is the reason?" Sapphire took a moment.
"I don't know. I've been wondering if it was because of some sort of nobility. A show of power, perhaps. A leap of faith. And then there's a part of me that wonders if it may have been...love." She spoke the last word only to herself.
"What was that?"
"Love, Commander. That it was evidence of how much you truly care about me." Sapphire made rapid glances switching between the floor and Ruby, who looked back at her in surprise. Ruby looked to the side, her eyebrows raised, before turning back around. "Is that what it was?" Ruby clenched her fists again. Not even she knew the reason why.
"Leave me be," Ruby said, her voice low and soft, yet stern.
"I'm sorry if I made you angry."
"Just leave me be, Sapphire."
"I wasn't even close, was I? I just made things wo-"
"BE QUIET AND LEAVE!" Ruby exploded, banging her fists on the desk, breaking it a bit. Sapphire froze up, stabbed once more through her heart. Her sadness welling up in her eye. Ruby settled down a bit, relaxing, and taking a deep breath. "Come back after the sun sets. Then we'll talk." Sapphire nodded, walking out, the door slowly closing behind her. Ruby clutched the sides of her head. She was losing it. Becoming soft. How dare she! All those years of training just to crumble at an annoying little Sapphire! Shameful! The door banged again, and Ruby growled. "I told you to leave me be!"
"We have visitors, Commander," Sapphire stated from behind the door. Ruby shot up. Visitors? Or did she mean…
"Invaders," she mumbled. She picked up her communicator, summoning her gauntlet, and rushing to the door and whipping it open. "Get the group to-" Her train of thought was interrupted when she saw three humans standing behind Sapphire. Ruby calmed herself, yet it settled from a panicked fury to a fiery bitterness. "Oh."
"They do not wish to do us harm. They only ask of our assistance," Sapphire stated.
"Hm," Ruby said, "and just when did we decide to start negotiating with humans?"
"We protect their planet, don't we?"
"We protect ourselves. Their planet is already ruined."
"If this is a bad time," Smiley began, "we can come back later."
"I'd say any time is a bad time, so don't bother," Ruby replied, merely glancing at him.
"What'd I tell you guys?" Greg said, shrugging before walking to the door. Connie and Smiley followed him, confused yet disappointed.
"What did you tell them?" Ruby asked, angrily. Greg stopped, light from the door illuminating his end of the room.
"Oh? Nothing much. Just that you're all a bunch of self-serving assholes that wrecked our planet," Greg stated sassily.
"Ass...hole?" Ruby processed, confused, before shaking her head and ignoring it. "We weren't the ones to wreck your planet you ungrateful sack of flesh. We're trying to save your weak little posteriors from forces you can't even begin to comprehend. So if that means we keep to ourselves more often, then so be it. At least we'll have a better chance of surviving."
"Ungrateful? You just said it yourself that the planet's already screwed over! What do we have to thank you for? Where were you when Vidalia died? Or Buck? Or even Onion? Huh?!"
"Saving our own members, you idiot. At least we're capable of doing that." Greg began fuming. He wanted to pick up this little prick and punch her right in the nose, but knew that would just end him in a world of hurt. "And as for ungrateful, weren't we the ones who got your precious city down from the sky? You would have all been content to just run and hide like you always do. We do all of the work here, if you've noticed." Greg looked at Sapphire, astounded.
"This bitch is your leader?" He asked.
"I'm not sure what a bitch is, but she is our commander, yes," Sapphire explained. Greg scoffed in disbelief. Then he rolled his eyes and headed back out the door, where the rest of the crowd was, with the other two in tow. Sapphire, panicking for a moment, rushed through the closing door around to the front of them. "Please," she begged, "don't go just yet." Greg was surprised, but still very much pissed off.
"Why not? We're clearly not welcome here," Greg said.
"I just...I…" It was happening again. Sapphire acted impulsively and now she didn't know what to do. Terrified, she tensed up. "I'm sorry…" Connie saw this shift in mood, sympathizing with her a bit, yet she was reluctant to do anything. If Greg was right, these guys were at least related to the ones that destroyed everything she knew. Everyone she loved… And yet here was one of them: a traumatized, anxiety-riddled little girl trapped in the harsh environment of an army. Connie knelt down, unsure of what to do, so she offered out both of her hands. Sapphire backed away instinctively, breathing heavily, before slowly approaching. Like a captive animal experiencing human contact for the first time. Sapphire held Connie's hands tightly, channeling her tension into them. It wasn't the most comfortable thing for Connie, but she hoped it was helping a bit.
"It's okay," Connie said, softly, "just take slow, deep breaths." Sapphire did as instructed. While breathing for Gems was practically useless, the rapid convulsions of her chest slowing to a calming rhythm was soothing. She relaxed a bit, if only just a bit. "Atta girl," Connie encouraged, their hands parting. Greg looked at this odd exchange in amazement and confusion. He seldom saw this side of Connie.
"T-Thank you," Sapphire said, her hands clasped together at her chest. "As I was saying, if you would care to explain what your request is, I will gladly try to find it myself." Connie nodded, looking at Greg.
"Uh," Greg began, coming to his senses and clearing his throat, "we were wondering if you guys had a tackle box and fishing rod." Sapphire looked back at him, clearly bewildered. Right, Greg thought, they're not from around here. "It's, like, a plastic box with a latch and a handle, about yay-wide and yay-tall. And a wooden stick with a...uh...a crank on the side of it." Sapphire, still confused, nodded. It was a fair enough description.
"I'll see what I can do," Sapphire said, walking back to the lighthouse.
"Oh! Wait!" Bill shouted, rushing around to the front of the crowd. Sapphire whipped around in surprise.
"Yes?"
"Uh...do you know where that tall, pointy-nosed one with the spear is?" Greg looked at Bill, and squinted at him, baffled. Connie tried to hold in her laughter.
"I do. She's not very willing to talk with you, I don't think. Sorry." Bill's face sank a bit, and he scratched the back of his head.
"Right, yeah. Sorry about that." He chuckled nervously, backing into the crowd. Sapphire nodded politely, entering the lighthouse. Greg chuckled a bit.
"Bill, what the hell?" He asked sincerely, raising his arms. Bill simply hid in the grouping of people.
Ruby waited in the same spot, her arms crossed and her foot tapping impatiently. Sapphire re-entered, her calmness being shattered once she saw Ruby awaiting.
"What in the eighty colonies do you think you're doing?" Ruby asked. "We do not interact with humans. They do not interact with us. And clearly they do not want to."
"They just need a box and a stick," Sapphire said.
"They need what?" Ruby asked, her anger being halted in favor of confusion.
"A box plastic with a latch and handle that is about 'yay-wide, yay-tall,' and a wooden stick built-in with a crank."
"What could they need those for?" Sapphire shrugged. Ruby thought for a moment, before walking out to the rest of the crowd. The people were chatting amongst themselves for a bit, but all turned to face her once she exited. Greg gave her a look that a male antelope would give a rival before competing for the female, and Ruby returned the challenging gaze. "Okay, look: I don't like any of you very much. I can tell you don't like us very much. But," she took a deep breath, "I am willing to bargain with you." Greg raised an eyebrow. "I know what you're asking for, and yes we do have it, but in return, you must give us something." Greg thought it over, knowing all eyes were on him.
"Alright," he said, "what are your demands?"
"We need nothing you can provide at the moment. But when a scenario presents itself when we might, you will be notified and you are expected to comply accordingly."
"And if we don't?"
"You humans seem to value those limbs of yours very much."
"You can't take all of us."
"Try me." Ruby gave him a confident flick of the eyebrow at that. Greg sighed, processing. He knew the group couldn't overpower them very well, so if those were the demands, he could do little else but follow. Allow them to be in charge for a bit. At least here. He nodded, extending his hand to shake on it. Ruby, unsure of what this meant, readied her gauntlet and backed away like a stray dog.
"You shake it, dingus," Greg stated bluntly. Ruby, still reluctant, grabbed his hand and shook it forcefully and sporadically, almost in a circular motion. Greg snerked a bit at her naivete. Pleased with this interaction, while still maintaining an inquisitive gaze, Ruby once more entered the lighthouse.
"That is one feisty little woman," Smiley stated. Greg nodded.
"She's tough," Connie acknowledged, "or at least acts tough."
"Oh, she is," Greg replied, "I could tell she was fully prepared to attack us if we didn't meet her demands." He looked at the door, studying it. "She's good."
"What do you mean?" Connie asked.
"She's good at taking charge. Now, I dunno how things work where they come from, but it's clear she's had some experience in this sort of position."
"Yeah. She needs to treat her companions better, though. That poor blue one was traumatized."
"Maybe." Greg paced for a bit, walking to the edge of the cliff and seeing the operation on the beach. Saw how they were tearing apart the Peridot's ship. Maybe they are on our side, he thought. Then he remembered Ruby's aggression. Somewhat, anyways. It wasn't much longer before Ruby exited, carrying the tackle box and fishing rod. She set them down on the ground, allowing Greg to pick it up himself, which he did.
"Just why do you need these exactly?" Ruby asked.
"Unlike you...things," Greg began.
"Gems," Ruby clarified.
"Whatever. Unlike you, we humans need food."
"You're gonna eat those?" Greg rolled his eyes.
"We use these to catch food." Ruby nodded slowly, understanding, before shrugging and turning around, walking back inside.
"Thank you very much!" PeeDee shouted. Ruby halted, turned around, and looked at the source of the voice. She just looked at him for a few moments, not really with any emotion, necessarily, just in acknowledgment. She tilted her head forward ever so slightly, before walking back into the lighthouse and closing the door.